Plants grow when seeds are planted. A similar process occurs in youth when they receive academic training and education offered at early childhood institutions.
“‘Let’s Grow Together’ is about growth as a community. In a garden, you have different seeds, different plants, and flowers. All different but all beautiful. The variety, colors, and shapes make the garden interesting, and they are all beneficial to each other. That’s how I see community.”
Flance Early Learning Center, a childcare facility located in north St. Louis city’s Carr Square neighborhood, installed a mural titled “Let’s Grow Together” Monday, emphasizing the significance educators and the community have in a child’s growth and development.
Eugenia Alexander, a multidisciplinary artist based in Edwardsville, Illinois, whose specialty is indigo textile work, painted the piece. It shows a child’s hand connected with an adult’s hand across a cobalt blue background, centered around leaves and plants in the shades of Flance’s pinwheel logo.
“I knew I wanted to create something that was bold, bright and spoke about growing and community. I wanted people to catch a glimpse of the bright colors in passing and have it make them stop and want to circle back to see and be curious about the building,” Alexander said. “‘Let’s Grow Together’ is about growth as a community. In a garden, you have different seeds, different plants, and flowers. All different but all beautiful. The variety, colors, and shapes make the garden interesting, and they are all beneficial to each other. That’s how I see community. That’s how I saw the community surrounding and within Flance.”
Alexander, who has painted murals before, said this is her first one that is a permanent work, and she is excited to have a piece that will live on forever.
“It feels great in a sense it feels like I’ll be able to grow within that community,” Alexander said. “It feels special to be part of something that’s very special and unique in St. Louis.”
The mural was made possible by The Luminary, who commissioned the work with support from the STLMade movement.
“This project and its story is also the story of the school and community,” James McAnally, executive director of The Luminary said. “Extending this impact through a permanent mural reflecting on communal healing and growth offers an opportunity to the entire Carr Square community to experience a celebratory, healing public art engagement as residents see themselves reflected in the experience and promise of the STLMade movement’s ‘Start up, Stand out, Stay’ narrative – to root in community and bloom, together.”
With a sustainability focus at the forefront of its mission, Tami Timmer, executive director of Flance said the center has various initiatives in place that are beneficial for its families and the community.
“Flance is in the middle of a food apartheid neighborhood, and we have our garden because we need environmental justice,” Timmer said. “Families struggle to have access to different food. We’ve used the pandemic for so many opportunities to serve every Friday since May 2020. We give out almost 2,000 pounds of free food to the community.”
Timmer said in addition to food, health, safety, and literacy, she and her staff also stress the importance of their students being exposed to the arts.
“We are huge advocates for the arts such as painting and music,” Timer said. “Them knowing their ABCs and how to spell their name is important, but teaching them how to be curious learners for the future is also important.”
Flance is named in remembrance of Dr. I. Jerome Flance, M.D., and his wife Rosemary, whose medical contributions in private and public health care helped cultivate the St. Louis region.
Timmer said Flance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a fully-accredited Green Ribbon School teaching and nurturing the young minds of infants to five-year-olds in preparation for kindergarten.
Learn more about Flance on its website, https://www.flancecenter.org/.
