Fellows

ART IS TRANSFORMATION

Flo Art Collective creates immersive performances that challenge conventional ways of making and experiencing art. We are collaborative in nature, fluid in membership, and multidisciplinary in form. We promote a holistic approach to working with artists and spaces and encourage the recognition of creativity in all aspects of life.

PLAY, PROCESS, AND PERFORMANCE

We create art using practices that fulfill our needs and desires for deep play, exploration, and detail-oriented work. This emphasis on process allows us to cultivate the full-bodied, participatory worlds in which our art resides and stimulates the sense of ownership, independent thinking, and risk-taking that we value. Artistic Director, Audrey Simes, integrates her experience in choreography, performance art, installation design, and music production to direct immersive and transformative performances. She redefines the audience in her work, empathetically confronting viewers and facilitating their intimate engagement. We invite artists and participants alike to act of their own volition; orchestrating moments where structure and collective agency are balanced.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Flo’s studios and exhibition spaces have given artists and creatives opportunities to manifest independent projects and develop professional skills since 2015. After receiving the 2019 Artist Fellowship from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Audrey Simes produced and directed “Secrets of the Bower House,” a performance series featuring 20 local artists, with co-directors Blaize D’Angio and Erin Renée Roberts. The work was developed through an apprenticeship at MRS. MacCORMICK’S YARD with support from Artica, Community Arts and Movement Project, and the St. Lou Fringe.

Despite the pandemic, we have found new ways to inspire connections within the community. The garden at Flo became our collective creative focus at the beginning of the shutdown. We partnered with Stovetop Yoga to host outdoor classes, movie nights, and Night Market events throughout the spring and summer supporting local artists, teachers, and small businesses. As we continue to grow, Flo seeks to establish a multidisciplinary artist residency in St. Louis for emerging and established artists. Construction of an outdoor stage at our main facility in the Tower Grove South neighborhood and a drive-by gallery in Benton Park West will begin this spring.