ARTIST: CAROLYN LEWIS DESIGNS

Carolyn earned a Master’s in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she worked with pediatric cancer patients, adults with disabilities, and individuals in assisted care. This experience showed her how art can uplift people across different ages and backgrounds. After moving to St. Louis in 2008, she connected with the city’s art scene and became a mixed media artist focused on empowerment through connection, using vintage fabrics, papers, dried paint, and acrylics to create vibrant, whimsical works.

In 2020, she participated in the American Cancer Society’s 42 Doors of Hope initiative, creating a door, Wings of Empowerment, now on permanent display at the Hope Lodge in Central West End. Later that year, she launched Little Art Gallery STL, a free public art gallery that fosters local and global connections.

Her passion for public art led to the creation of several large murals in South City. In 2023, she was named an Emerging Artist by the St. Louis Art Fair and an Artist INC Fellow hosted by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. Her work has been exhibited at prominent venues like Angad Arts Hotel, Webster Arts Gallery, and Foundry Art Centre, and showcased at local and regional festivals such as Laumeier, Webster Arts Fair, and Kentucky Festival of the Arts.

In April 2023, she opened her own studio/gallery in St. Louis, offering workshops for adults and children, where she encourages attendees to set intentions for their work, fostering a deep connection between artist and art. She also partners with two women-owned businesses to host quarterly markets, including a special market for young makers aged 8-16, celebrating community support for local artists.