An Argument for the Preservation of Permeable Spaces in St. Louis
My introduction to St. Louis took place over the four years I attended Webster University as an undergraduate vocal performance major in their Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts. What would soon become a vital component to my college experience was the local music scene. Being a vocal performance major meant a full courseload running the gamut of theory and technical training supplemented with innumerable performance requirements and practice. In short, the only people I was going to be making friends with were the other overscheduled music students hanging out between practice sessions in the basement of the Thompson House. And at Webster, if they weren’t in the classical lane like me, they were jazz musicians.
What struck me most about my peers who were jazz musicians, is that, unlike me, they were already getting paid to perform the music they loved across different St. Louis venues. Perhaps this is a common experience in other cities (or just integral to the performance of jazz itself, as it relies on improvisation rather than the flawless execution of the written piece like the arias I poured over) but to me, this has always embodied the potential of St. Louis. An open stage where you may hear a newcomer play alongside a celebrated performer and the sound is just killer. Because someone made space for this experience. Because others embraced the possibility by joining the experience. And we allowed it to change not only our experience but also the space itself.
One of our projects, the Gyo Obata Fellowship, named for Gyo Obata, a founder of design firm HOK and former trustee of the Gateway Foundation, is a fitting example for what is possible in the St. Louis I know.
Gyo Obata was a teacher. He taught the Foundation the importance of approaching each project with attention to presentation and form. The Gyo Obata Fellowship is both an extension of what we learned from Gyo and a continuation of his work with the Foundation. Through the Gyo Obata Fellowship, the Foundation is teaching the next generation of arts administrators by establishing a precedent for the presentation and form of pivotal pre-employment experiences, by partnering with local arts institutions in the execution and leadership of this program, and by positioning students to own their learning while actively influencing the very ecosystem they may one day lead.
The 2025 cohort concluded this past August. The response to this year’s program from arts leaders, arts institutions, students and faculty here in St. Louis was resounding. Our arts institutions were ready to raise their hands, roll up their sleeves and get to work on creating space and embracing the influence these students could have on our arts ecosystem. We couldn’t be more appreciative of the partners we had this year, those who served as host organizations, site supervisors and mentors throughout the ten week program, because this work would never have occurred without them. The success of projects like the Gyo Obata Fellowship may begin with good design but it is the partnerships and willingness to embrace the experience which realize the full potential of that design. Recruitment for the 2026 cohort is underway with an application deadline for both students and arts agencies of February 2, 2026. More information on the Fellowship may be found here.
If I am looking ahead to the future of St. Louis, I am identifying where there are opportunities to create space which brings people and opportunity together. I am finding those who are ready to partner in embracing not only the possibility of the experience but also the fact that our spaces are best made permeable.
Dr. Heather Sweeney is Executive Director of the Gateway Foundation. In this role, she approaches organizational strategy through the cultivation of relationships, which are at the heart of the public-private partnerships required in the stewardship of Citygarden, in the identification of arts and culture projects, and in the implementation of the Foundation's sculpture loan program placing 70 pieces of acclaimed works throughout St. Louis. As a former faculty member, administrator, and nonprofit leader, Dr. Sweeney has 16 years of experience in fundraising, program management, leadership, and education.