To celebrate the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis’ 40th anniversary and highlight the importance of art and community, RAC invited two of St. Louis’s most prolific muralists, Cbabi Bayoc and Robert Fishbone, to create a special mural commemorating RAC’s work over the last four decades.
As part of the St. Louis Mural Project, funded through ARPA for the Arts and managed by RAC, this mural builds on the 28 murals created by local artists across the city in 2024.
“Receiving and distributing ARPA funds was a historic milestone for RAC. In addition to ensuring residents and visitors could experience memorable art, it was equally important to me that we help create lasting opportunities,” said Vanessa Cookesy, RAC president and CEO. “When Cbabi and Fishbone came together on this mural, it wasn’t just about depicting RAC’s history—it was about making it.”
Collaborating for the first time, the two artists worked together to create a signature piece of artwork that celebrated RAC and combined the artists’ different styles and approaches to murals.
“Because the mural is in a very public place, it mattered that it not only spoke to creatives but also brought joy and inspiration to all that caught a glance,” said Cbabi.
Bright colors, bold shapes, texture, movement, and positive messaging guided the design. They used a back-and-forth, collaborative process in creating the design and eventually agreed on a starting point that would further develop as they worked on the wall.
Drawing on their combined experience and expertise, the collaboration flowed easily.
“I would use one word to describe the process: smooth,” said Fishbone. “We are both good at certain things, and we were both really loose about it.”
Title: IMAGINE!
Artists: Cbabi Bayoc and Robert Fishbone
Location: Latham Bell / 5654 Delmar Blvd, 63112
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