Arts Education | COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY, St. Louis
One of the premier music schools in the country, the Community Music School of Webster University has provided comprehensive music education for an entire century. Every year the school serves about 1,200 students across all skill levels, young children through adults, with programs from individual lessons to full orchestras.Arts Organization | CITY IN MOTION DANCE THEATER, INC., Kansas City
Founded in 1985, City in Motion Dance Theater, Inc. is the longest running contemporary dance company in Kansas City. City in Motion builds bridges in the community with its professional company, dance school, outreach program, and performance series that includes the free Dance in the Park each fall.
Creative Community | CITY OF WEST PLAINS
The arts are crucial to the identity and growth of West Plains, the commercial and cultural hub of south central Missouri. Special events from First Thursday Downtown Strolls to the annual Ozark Heritage Festival, along with many creative businesses, make for a vibrant location for residents and a year-round destination for tourists.
Individual Artist | RAY HARVEY, New Haven
Muralist Ray Harvey has brought grand-scale art to Missouri’s small towns since 1990. He has turned over 600 indoor and outdoor blank walls into vivid stories of history and heritage, often bringing art to people who otherwise have little chance to enjoy it. Working with each community, he creates images that local people recognize as their own.
Leadership in the Arts | ERIN WARNER PRANGE, St. Louis
As executive director of Saint Louis Dance Theatre since 2012, Erin Warner Prange has grown this contemporary dance company from a modest local ensemble with one performance a year to a $1.2 million operation that serves people across Missouri through performances, education, and innovative partnerships.
Philanthropy | DAVID & THELMA STEWARD, St. Louis
David and Thelma Steward’s commitment to improving lives and transforming communities spans more than four decades. They have combined their investment of time and talent with millions of dollars in donations to a broad spectrum of arts organizations and programs, from music and dance to cinema and literature, to which they are indispensable.
> For more about our 2026 honorees, go to Missouri Arts Awards 2026 on our website. |
