Located across the urban and residential landscape, the City of Clayton is home to vast public art collection featuring works from internationally recognized artists such as Fernando Botero, Carl Milles, Howard Ben Tre, Ernest Trova, James Surls, Alice Aycock, Steven Gregory, Liam Gillick, Ned Kahn, among others.
Public Art on Wydown Boulevard
Imagine a public artwork greeting you at the entrance to Clayton. The Clayton Community Foundation, in conjunction with Via Partnership, LLP, is leading the way to commission an artist to create a site-specific piece of art. With Forest Park as the front door of Clayton along Wydown Boulevard, this unique opportunity will provide residents with a display of art that will help define the city itself.
Named as one of the Great Places in America, Wydown Boulevard is a 1.6 mile street that runs from Hanley Road to Skinker Boulevard known for its lush scenery, historic neighborhoods, and attractiveness for walking, jogging, and cycling.
With the support and input of the community, the artwork will be designed to welcome residents and visitors, draw from distinct characteristics of the area, and meet a standard of excellence on par with the west end Fernando Botero sculpture.
DeMun Park Mural
The Hi-Pointe-DeMun Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The area, commonly referred to as "DeMun," is a charming, tree-lined neighborhood straddling the city limits of St. Louis and Clayton. Home to quaint coffee shops, boutiques and a number of acclaimed restaurants, DeMun is a St. Louis gem best appreciated while strolling on foot.
DeMun Park, located at the corner of Southwood and DeMun is the site of A Bee Named Bubbles, a mural by artists Robert Fishbone and Liza Fishbone. Facing the recently upgraded playground, this area is located in the heart of DeMun and is a destination for locals and visitors. The new mural is designed with children and parents in mind, meant to draw attention to play and become a selfie icon for generations visiting the neighborhood park. The 33' wide x 23' high mural is painted onto the commercial building facing the playground.
Robert Fishbone and Sarah Linquist (d. 2010) came to St. Louis in 1973 having studied Fine Arts and Performance Art at Antioch College. Their collective career spanned over 200 successful mural projects including the iconic, Lindy Squared located in downtown St. Louis. Their clients included both Fortune 500 and local businesses, as well as neighborhood organizations. They received grants from the NEA, Missouri Arts Council and RAC. They also were invited to make murals in NYC, Knoxville, Dallas, Austin, Baton Rouge and Anchorage, Alaska. From 2000-2010 Sarah was the Master Scenic Artist at the MUNY Opera.
In 2014, Fishbone was the Artist-in-Residence at Wydown Middle School and completed Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken with students. He was invited back to guide the transformation of a well-traversed hallway on the main floor of the school. In 2015 Robert was joined by his daughter Liza to form Team Fishbone. The gentle clash of his old-school and her street-art styles has resulted in fun, head-turning murals including Nothing Impossible (2018) for Style House STL in the Cherokee District, Food Roof (2019) for an Urban Gardening project near the City Museum, Dogtown at Clayton and Tamm, Hue (2020) for a new apartment complex in The Grove, and 9 mural restorations for Willert Home Products at 39th and Park. You can see more of their works including videos at www.OnTheWallMurals.com.
Recent Press:
St. Louis Magazine: The first public mural in Clayton is coming to DeMun Park
City Views Summer 2022: Ward I Message
STL Jewish Light: Busy bees fundraising for ‘Big Bee’ mural
Town and Style: Talk of the Towns: 6.22.22
Clayton Community Foundation: June News
Support CCF and help make the mural a new landmark for our community. This piece of public art will be cherished for generations, furthering community engagement, and enhancing an already popular public space.
The mural was completed in July 2022, but CCF still requires support for the maintenance fund. Donate online or by mail and select “restricted gift” and note “DeMun Mural”.
There are many ways to explore and learn more:
Download the PDF Public Art Map
Download the Otocast App to experience an audio walking tour. For Android or Apple.
Download the City of Clayton’s Public Art Master Plan to understand past projects and future possibilities.
If you want more information about CCF Art or wish to be more involved, please contact Alex Elmestad at 314.290.8553.
Learn more about the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee, CCF Art, and public artworks.