Each year, the Rise Up Festival showcases local St. Louis artists. Once again, our theme is  “Artists on the Rise” featuring emerging St. Louis area artists who are new on the art scene and are trying to make a name for themselves. The show will be managed by our friends at Claire De Lune Productions. Take a look at 2019’s Artists on the Rise showcase.

Dana Gray-Art Consultant, Community Organizer, Sustainability Advocate

Dana Gray & Associates LLC, provides fine art appraisal and consultation services, and locations for film and photography production. Her art career began in 1991 at a gallery in Hawaii and in 1999 she launched an art consulting business.  Dana’s art collection includes prints and paintings by regional, national, and internationally known artists. Recent acquisitions have been outdoor sculptural works for property in the Tower Grove area, where she has lived since 2002.

As a community outreach coordinator with Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corp., Dana works with a team of professionals to stabilize and revitalize targeted areas of St. Louis city. She has led efforts on landlord training, beautification projects, energy conservation policy, and streetscape enhancements for pedestrians and bicyclists. Dana is passionate about creating community, active living, and sharing the arts within our region. Dana is leading a bike tour of Sculpture, Architecture, and Landscape for TrailNet and ReVitalize St. Louis on July 29, 2018.

Mallarie N. Zimmer

In high school, Mallarie N. Zimmer was known as “the artist.” She painted parade floats and theatrical sets. In college, she studied art with an emphasis in sculpture, video, and performance. Armed with a BFA and a few belongings Zimmer moved from Arkansas where she spent her first 20+ years of life, to St. Louis where she has spent the past 20+. While in St. Louis she veered away from making art to making art possible. She has run an arts newspaper, directed art shows, and always deployed the right side of her brain to solve the big problems for nonprofits and small businesses. As the proud daughter of an artist and art teacher, empowering people to pursue their creative dreams is ingrained in Zimmer’s DNA. Today she is in the early stages of launching a consulting business and is honored to support the artists exhibiting at the Rise Up Festival and all around St. Louis.

Julia Butterfly Hill is an activist, author, motivational speaker, artist and life coach. She is best known for having lived in a 200 foot tall, over 1,000-year-old California Redwood tree for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999. Hill lived in the tree, known as Luna, to prevent Maxxam Corporation controlled Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. She is the author of Legacy of Luna and Becoming and co-author of One Makes the Difference. Julia has had a passion for art and creativity since she was a child and continues to support the arts– especially for under-served and under-represented communities.