To mark Women’s History Month, Gazelle introduces you to the six remarkable recipients of the 2022 Saint Louis Visionary Awards, who will be honored during a ceremony in April.
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.
Among the honorees is St. Louis-based multidisciplinary Indian artist Mee Jey, who will receive the Emerging Artist award. In her work, Jey focuses on collective political-cultural identity and experiences, engaging the community through immersive installations, performances, relational art projects and time-based media. She specializes in making the best use of any available resources – such as repurposed fabric – or the lack of them.
GAZELLE: What inspires your work?
MEE JEY: My realities and consciousness as an immigrant, woman, mother and a global citizen inspire my creative practice. The knowledge that millions share my fate fuels my ambition to create works that relate to a larger community – a community that is beyond my gendered and national identity.
GAZELLE: How do you use your art to connect with people in the community?
MEE JEY: For my art projects, I use ordinary materials from quotidian life, like household objects and fabrics. These objects may not have much economic value but are replete with emotional, cultural and familial histories. I connect with people in the community by seeking their contribution in material forms, requesting their participation in the creative process, and by putting back the re-formed materials as artwork in public spaces for multi-sensorial experience. Additionally, I try to ensure my presence and availability for the visitors, maintaining the quintessential channel between art, artist and audience.
GAZELLE: What does this award mean to you?
MEE JEY: This award is not just an acknowledgement of my relentless creative endeavors, but also a validation of the faith of thousands of people who became part of my journey as participants and connoisseurs in the past 10 years. I am filled with gratitude for this continued support from my ever-growing community across the geography of the U.S. and India. I dedicate this award to all my folks who believed in my motto of “art for all.” This honorable award means I am on the right path.
In addition to Jey, this year’s Visionary Awards recipients are: Hassie Davis (Outstanding Teaching Artist), Andrea Hughes (Community Impact Artist), Dianne Isbell (Outstanding Working Artist), Emily Rauh Pulitzer (Lifetime Achievement) and Pam Trapp (Major Contributor to the Arts).
An awards ceremony and program, followed by a reception, begins at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 25, at the Sun Theatre in Grand Center. Cheree Berry and Dr. Eva Frazer are the co-hosts for the evening.
For tickets and additional information, visit the Saint Louis Visionary Awards website.
