Women in Arts Honored for Contributions in Clayton, U City

Several women with ties to the and arts scene received recognition Wednesday night as part of the Tenth Annual Visionary Awards. The event happened at the Sheldon Concert Hall and is organized by Grand Center.

“This event carries such meaning for us in the arts community,” stated Marilyn Sheperd, vice president for development at Grand Center, in a news release. “Day in, day out, these women work tirelessly for the betterment of the arts, and we’re the ones who reap the rewards of their work."

The local women are:

• Gina Alvarez, Emerging Artist Award: She is the former gallery and education director at the in Clayton. Alvarez earned her master of fine arts in printmaking and drawing in 2002 from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University, a biography provided by Grand Center states. She has exhibited in places such as Chicago and Washington, D.C., and her work will be on display in August as part of the "Exposure 15" exhibit planned at Gallery 210 the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

• Con Christeson, Successful Working Artist: She co-founded community collabARTive at Peter & Paul Community Services, a nonprofit that helps people who are homeless. Christeson also is its managing artist. A 2009 exhibit at the in University City honored the program's 10th anniversary. The commission also is helping to fund her participatory photo project called Public Spaces/Private Places, which "envisions integration of Peter & Paul Community Services into the Benton Park and Benton Park West neighborhoods."

• Kim Eberlein, Major Contributor to the Arts: This philanthropist chairs the Washington University Women's Society board and also serves on boards for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, among other organizations. She is also a panelist for the Regional Arts Commission.

• Dr. Susan Uchitelle, President's Award: This Clayton resident is credited with founding the Saint Louis Art Fair along with her husband, former Mayor Ben Uchitelle. She is an educational consultant for Confluence Academy Charter Schools in St. Louis, which she started, and previously served as executive director of the Voluntary Interdistrict Coordinating Council. That organization implements a student-transfer program throughout the metro area. She has taught at Washington University and holds a doctorate in educational policy and program development from that institution. Uchitelle helped establish the Grand Center Arts Academy, a public charter school "dedicated to excellence in both academics and the arts," her biography states.

A selection committee of other distinguished women chose the majority of this year's honorees. President Ken Kranzberg of the Grand Center board and Grand Center Chief Executive Vince Schoemehl selected Uchitelle for the President's Award.

The other honorees were Lois Ingrum, a photography instructor who was recognized as Outstanding Arts Educator, and Sara Burke, who founded City Studio Dance Center and was recognized as Outstanding Arts Professional.