Sarah Colby

Outstanding Arts Professional

Since moving to St. Louis in 2001, she was coordinator of the gallery, artists-in-residence, and visual arts programming at the Center for Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis and director of admission at Rossman School before beginning the Arts + Healthcare Program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 2007.

Sarah is also an alumna of the Community Arts Training Institute through the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. CAT is a five-month curriculum fostering successful partnerships among artists of all disciplines, social workers, educators and community activists with the goal of creating relevant arts programs in community settings

Janet Park

Outstanding Working Artist

Art is intention. It has to move you either way.

She is an internationally touring performance artist and engages in the form of collaboration with fine art, music, architecture, and archeological sites, galleries, and museums. She doesn't confine her work to the norm and seeks new ways to share her vision of art.

She honors humanity and the sacredness of our changing bodies. Her work constantly evolves, and she utilizes the gift of being a performance artist as best as possible to connect her inspirations and responses. The most recent example is that she has formed Quartet “Four Elements” with a renowned Italian composer Luigi Esposito, a French clarinetist/composer Philippe Festou and French pianist, Hélène Pereira; Janet is the fourth element.

Shevaré Perry

Emerging Artist

Shevaré is a costume designer, artist, poet, and fashion educator. She explores creative expression through the overlap of visual art, theater, and fashion. In Spring 2021, Shevaré was the inaugural artist for Saks Fifth Avenue Gallery at Plaza Frontenac; debuted She Is Her, I Am She. Over the last few years, her art has been featured at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and galleries in Chicago, New York, and London. Shevaré believes that poetic storytelling paired with dynamic presentations are catalysts to spark dialogue, share history, and increase creative approaches to language arts.

She lives her life passion focused; a true example of, “Love what you do, do what you love.”

Rosalind-Denise Rogers

Outstanding Teaching Artist

Rosalind-Denise is a Kansas City, Kansas native and Award-winning Educator, musician, and mother of three. She is also the Founder and Executive director of The Inner Ear Foundation, a non-profit community music program. The Inner Ear Foundation was founded on the idea that every student should have access to quality music education. She is grateful that her passion allows her to spend so much time with her daughters and influence countless other youths in the midwest. Her vision is inner city-accessible music programs around the globe.

Rosalind-Denise was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education for "Meritorious Service". She was named Art Educator of the Year for 2022 by the Arts and Education Council and is the 2021 recipient of the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award.

Sheila Suderwalla

Arts Innovator

Executive Director of Artists First since 2013, Sheila has over 20 years’ non-profit experience working with communities in need. Some of her successes as a social worker have been featured in publications such as the New York Times, St. Louis Post Dispatch and Time Magazine. Under her leadership, Artists First an inclusive, nonprofit art studio, received the Governor's Council on Disabilities’ 2019 Inclusion Award and the 2023 Missouri Arts Award. She was recognized as one of the "100 St. Louisans You Should Know" 2017 (Small Business Monthly Journal). She has been a national trainer and social activist for over 20 years.

As a juried winning artist, she has incorporated art into her work with individuals who have experienced trauma.

Rachel Tibbetts

Community Impact Artist

Rachel Tibbetts has worked in arts education since 2000, first with the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, followed by Young Audiences of St. Louis. In 2005, Rachel joined the staff of Prison Performing Arts, a nonprofit that engages justice-involved youth and adults in the performing arts, and she was promoted to Artistic Director in 2021. Rachel is co-producer of the Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE), a
St. Louis area based professional theatre company committed to highlighting the work of women artists.

Rachel works in the community as an actor, director, and intimacy coordinator working with ERA Theatre, The Midnight Company, R-S Theatrics, YoungLiars, West End Players Guild, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Williams Festival, Mustard Seed Theatre, and Webster University.

Photo credit for all Honoree headshots: Lois Ingrum