Indigo K. Sams’ tenure as Center of Creative Arts president and CEO began on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. It’s fitting because she loves her new role.
“The things that stand out to me is the integrity, and the thoughtfulness of the staff here has been incredible,” she said. “Watching the process of getting everything together on stage that goes into a classroom has really reignited my energy for this work because the staff is amazing. Working with people that care so much about the tenderness of what art can be has been a great adjustment.”
She added hearing people and performances in the building at night has also been a joy for her.
“This building is beautiful, the joy that you hear in the evening when people are in the building has been also another space that is really exciting to me,” she said.
“I’ve been lucky and blessed that I’ve always had jobs that I care about, and I’m excited to get to work every day. The adjustment has been pretty easy in that regard.”
She’s developing her goals for COCA, but sees growth in utilizing the Catherine B. Berges Theatre more, securing more partnerships, and making the organization more accessible.
“As I’m starting to analyze and really look behind the curtain of all the things that we do there’s definitely more opportunity in the Berges Theatre. The pandemic kind of slowed down some of the plans that were set forth in the strategic plan for the organization, which we’re still realizing right now,” she said.
“There’s a great opportunity to build more partnerships. I’m a collaborator by nature and I believe that we get the best out of this work by collaborating with others, there’s still some opportunities that I think we should be working towards. In addition to that, the other thing that I would like to see more of is access to COCA.”
Sams launched her career with COCA in 1999, as an intern from Harris-Stowe State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in urban education.
She was named COCA’s director of community service before pivoting to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, where she held three vice president positions during a 17-year tenure. She still serves as its vice president for programs and club services.
Sams’ grandmother was a gospel singer who also sang opera. Her father is a jazz musician and a photographer. Becoming an arts administrator always felt natural, and coming back to where she started her career also made sense.
“Honestly the idea of having the opportunity to come back was just overwhelming, it felt right, felt like it was time to come back home,” she said. “I spent the last 17 years at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis where I loved working there in the community, but the arts was what was missing from my life.”
In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, Bill Carson, COCA’s president of its board directors, said Sams’ extensive arts administration experience and connections made her the best choice to oversee COCA.
“Indigo is deeply thoughtful. She’s confident. She listens to a wide variety of voices, both inside the organization and regionally and nationally,” Carson said.
“She has deep trust among the people that work for her, and she’s very widely known within the St. Louis community as a leader in arts and youth spaces.”
One of the most important lessons Sams has learned throughout her career that she carries with her everyday is “Tomorrow’s not promised, but each day is a chance to do better.”
“I try to teach my kids to wake up everyday with a fresh clean palette,” she said. “The day is yours to make it whatever you want. If yesterday wasn’t the greatest, I get an opportunity to wake up the next day and make that day a better day for myself and others.”
Sams is humbled about her reign as COCA’s third president and CEO, and she’s also excited about its future.
“It’s my hope and desire to make sure that everyone in the St. The Louis area has access to COCA,” she said.
“I want us to be more than just a place where people come to learn and experience art, but really become a part of the community at large. There areso many things happening around us, the one thing about the arts that I believe is that it’s a healing method, and I want COCA to be at the forefront of helping people heal.”
