To mark Women’s History Month, Gazelle introduces you to six remarkable women who will be honored at the 2024 Saint Louis Visionary Awards ceremony April 29 at the Sun Theater in Grand Center.
The award – one of the most prestigious in the local arts community – recognizes the many contributions of women who work in and support the arts in St. Louis.
This year’s Community Impact Artist is Luisa Otero-Prada, a St. Louis-based visual artist since 2004. A native of Colombia, Otero-Prada is inspired by the Caribbean nation’s vibrant flora and colorful abstractions, weaving different aspects of her identity into her paintings to connect with people from all walks of life. Otero-Prada attended the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Community Arts Institute, as well its Teaching Artist Institute. Her work has been showcased throughout St. Louis, including the Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Artscope, PEACE Weaving Wholeness, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Latinx Arts Network STL, Saint Louis Art Fair, Zuka Arts, Portfolio Gallery and St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Otero-Prada currently serves as youth program coordinator for Bread and Roses Missouri.
GAZELLE: YOU’VE DESCRIBED YOUR WORK AS “VISUAL MAGIC REALISM.” PLEASE EXPLAIN.
LUISA OTERO-PRADA: I want to create visual magic realism in my paintings. It is an aspiration to achieve it and differs from following the magic realism style. For me, magic can be in the simplest and most unexpected things. I grew up in the Caribbean region of Colombia, where the exuberance of nature overflows, just as Gabriel García Márquez masterfully characterizes it in his novels and stories. Passages from his books intertwine with many of my memories – and that is present when I paint.
GAZELLE: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT TO DATE?
LUISA OTERO-PRADA: The “Building Bridges” mural project was truly ambitious. Following a Latinx Arts Network meeting, a small group of artists decided to embark on creating a public-art piece in our community. Despite having no funds or specific location, we began a long learning journey. As a team of five musketeers with a shared vision, we made it happen! We applied for a grant, secured it, faced an initial site permit rejection due to the city council’s negative perception of murals, but eventually, we found a perfect spot on Delmar Boulevard. Thanks to one Community Arts Training Institute fellow and the Loop Trolley Company, we completed our mural two years after our initial discussion, amidst the challenges of the pandemic. I am incredibly proud to be one of those five women!
GAZELLE: HOW DO YOU USE YOUR ART TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY?
LUISA OTERO-PRADA: With my paintings, those are more my inner world, what I consider beauty and where I come from, so I bring that part to my community. I bring diversity and my culture, but my artistic practice is also making connections in my community to collaborate. I like to make art a reality at different levels and I enjoy that a lot. That is why I contribute my passion and the belief that art is essential to create friendly spaces, real conversations and ultimately positive change that should be always welcome.
In addition to Otero-Prada, this year’s Visionary Awards recipients are: Heather Beal-Himes (Outstanding Working Artist), Elizabeth Berges (Major Contributor to the Arts), Shawna Flanigan (Outstanding Teaching Artists), Meridith McKinley (Outstanding Arts Professional) and Alexa Seda (Emerging Artist).
An awards ceremony and program, followed by a reception, begins at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 29, at the Sun Theater in Grand Center. For tickets and additional information, visit the Saint Louis Visionary Awards website.
