Art, Mimosas, Pancakes & A Legacy
Guests attend the annual Art, Mimosas & Pancake event in style.
It's hard getting much out of an event when you live in a smaller-big city like St. Louis, MO. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of good ones out there, but a lot of them lack flair. Besides the fact that St. Louisans are notoriously hard to please, the structure of our city, and recent social and political events have overshadowed our core asset; art.
The city is home to some of the nations most beautiful and historic architecture; the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States; and multiple music genres, as well as musical legends (including Josephine Baker, Nelly, Ike Turner, Chuck Barry, and more). So then, what does a blossoming artist have to offer a city that birthed so much greatness?
Art, Mimosas & Pancakes.
The first time I heard of such a thing, I was immediately intrigued. But it wasn’t until this summer that I actually got to experience the magic first hand. The art community in St. Louis is huge - yet [relatively] intimate and interconnected, so I had met Brock Seals (rapper, artist, and curator of Art, Mimosas & Pancakes) a few times before - and had even seen a few of his rockstar sets at local concerts. But somehow, I had never attended one of his biggest productions.
Guests at this summer’s Art, Mimosas & Pancake event.
Photograph by Tyler Small.
There was a terrible storm the night of the event - but there was no shortage of people, and even though we were at an event space, it felt warm - like we were all friends of a friend at a huge house party. There were plenty of drinks (especially mimosas) to go around, and guest enjoyed pancakes of their own design, courtesy of culinary artist, Dr. Dan. The night ended with a musical performance by BLVCK SPVDE And The Smthngz-n-Nthngz Sessions, and even a stellar performance from Seals himself.
For at least the last five years, there have been a slew of young black artist in the city that stress the importance of art [within the community] - completely unprovoked by someone else’s agenda. And for four of those years, Seals has done his bid in manifesting the art scene, through his personal work, as well as with Art, Mimosas & Pancakes. This is important because black people and people of color in general, haven’t traditionally been represented properly in this space. Art, especially fine art, isn’t a hot topic in most “hoods”, but events like AMP challenge that status quo.
Although there have always been wildly successful black artists, there has never been adequate representation for them - not in the media, and especially not within our schools. In recent years, social media has played a huge role in giving artists (who otherwise may not have had a platform) a space to show their work, and a chance to connect with other artists. To see someone who looks like you, dresses like you, and speak like you, do something that you’ve traditionally only seen old white men from the 15th century do, is life changing for some - especially in a city where the arts have an economic impact of $591 million.
"The art scene in Saint Louis has grown in so many ways,” Seals said about his latest installment of AMP. “[On a larger scale] there are far more artists, as well as opportunities for artists than there have been in the past. There are also more spectators, which is good exposure."
Like most events in the area, if there is hype - there are people. An artist, promoter, or curator is lucky if their event [over the years] doesn’t turn into a hype-fest. And while no one is complaining about more money and exposure, sometimes, events can lose their meaning and personality when they become more about the hype and less about the core initiative(s) - which in this case is art. However, in the past four years, Seals has not only done bigger and better things, he has managed to draw in bigger crowds, all while keeping the atmosphere and message the same.
When asked about the art scene in St. Louis, the rapper / artist had this to say; “The art scene is forever growing, it’s like the flower out of concrete. Blooming out of nowhere but vastly spreading.”
Seals and friend.
Photograph by Tyler Small.
“Each year I try to bring something fresh towards the event to get people excited,” he said. “I took a trip to Art Basel [in Miami] last year, and I was inspired by all of the energy and people that I encountered. I wanted to bring that same energy home to Art, Mimosas & Pancakes.”
“I wanted to create a visual experience that would compliment & also challenge the status quo on emerging & professional art in Saint Louis,” he went on to say.
While in Miami during one of his shows, Seals found himself collaborating on a mural alongside Alim Smith, best known for his artistic recreation of popular memes. Smith, like Seals, is a multi-talented artist who has become a valuable part of urban art culture, and uses his platform to give back. Smith, rightfully so, was one of the featured artist at this years AMP event.
Other artist included; Nebula Handbags by Blair, Damon Addison, Kevin Feuerhelm, Brittni Mosby, Camillia Zachary, Quinn Antonio Briceño, Joey Asaro, Phil Robinson, Nicholas Coulter, De’Joneiro Jones, Joey McCrone, Alvin Lewis, Jarrell Lawrence, Jasmine Blank, IIIhree, Amirianna Payne, Jessie Donovan, Kyla Qi, xTRVONx & Taylor Deed.
For the first time ever, the event even had sponsorship. Sponsors included; Old Bakery Beer, Citizens for Modern Transit, Pattan & Co., Jeanne Florini on behalf of STLCC (Florissant Valley) & Fuzzy’s Tacos.
![Artists (J.Cole portrait) Taylor Deed [left] and Jarrell Lawrence [right].](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53c566ede4b0fa5829912f78/1537121083245-K4CWFU5L9O7BB89WMH6R/TylerSmallAMP2jpg.jpg)
Artists (J.Cole portrait) Taylor Deed [left] and Jarrell Lawrence [right].
With so much success at home over the past few years, Seals and his team decided that the next step is to take the show on the road! While there would still be an annual event in St. Louis, the idea of [a young black man] creating spaces for people to express themselves and broaden their horizons - and actually having an impact - is necessary all over the nation. And Seals has made such a name for himself and his event that he would have no problem doing such a thing.
The way I see it; Art, Mimosas & Pancakes will be a defining moment in art history within St. Louis - if not the nation. A hub for the next set of Masters.
Oh, and Hebru Brantley, if you’re reading this; your presence has been requested at next years event!
