Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association

Kaeko Maehata has had a strong artistic instinct since she was a child. She started out drawing and creating with her hands, and continued to develop professionally as an artist at Kanazawa Art College in her native country of Japan. The artist has experience painting, sculpting, sawing, weaving, beading, and much, much more. There is one art form, however, keeps Kaeko continuously captivated- glass. Kaeko has called herself a glass artist since 1992. “Glass… Read More

“There is an inherent beauty in nature. Someone has gone far out of their way to make things attractive- the creator of the universe. When we try to channel that creativity, it opens up a lot of doors.” The inspiration of artist Salem Barker comes from the world around him. Experiencing the intricacies and splendor of nature allows Salem to create pieces that demand attention at each and every one of the 14 to… Read More

It’s a wonderful and exciting time in the Shaw Neighborhood! We’re about to embark on our 21st Historic Shaw Art Fair filled with excellent art, food, entertainment & fun… The Shaw Neighborhood began the year by joining with Botanical Heights, Tiffany, Forest Park Southeast and Southwest Garden in a collaborative response to the Kresge Arts Initiative. While not being awarded a grant, the joint effort strengthened our relations with the… Read More

Dorothy Garden (corner of Thurman and Shenandoah) Saturday, May 12, 11am-1pm This has become a neighborhood event, a great way to meet neighbors, friends, and gardeners and get something new for your garden. It’s the day before Mother’s Day, so maybe you can get a plant for your mom.  Here’s how the swap/sale works:   1. Plant Swap – You bring a plant from your garden and receive a ticket to use to purchase a plant.   2. Read More

Deadline is June 25th. We’re looking to support organizations that serve the Shaw community. Any questions? e-mail Jenny Gerstner at shawneighborhood at sbcglobal dot net or myself at eric at shawstlouis dot org. Or, call the SNIA office at 314-771-3101. Eric Vineyard 2012 SNIA President Helping Hands GA… Read More

As promised…our first guest blog post sponsored by the Community Outreach Committee of SNIA. Thank you thank you, Emma!   -Laura **************************************************************************************************************************** Sometimes when I meet other people who are, like myself, not from St. Louis, they express that they have felt challenged to feel at home here. For me, it could not be more the opposite. After 5 years of city living, I feel a stronger sense of homeness, ownership, pride and celebration than I… Read More

One of the goals of SNIA’s new Outreach Committee is to increase the number of voices you hear from, regarding our organization’s initiatives. That has always been our intention with the blog, but putting that into practice was challenging. I’m pleased to announce that Outreach is implementing a Guest Post initiative, which will incorporate a variety of guest voices: people with a stake in the neighborhood, who may or may not have official ties to… Read More

Want a fresh salad with your dinner or just realized you ran out of grapes?  Shaw residents can soon run down to the corner store for those items.  A new initiative called “The St. Louis Healthy Corner Store Project” has selected Regal Food III, at Shaw and Klemm, to participate in this program.  It seeks to promote healthy eating habits for neighborhood residents by partnering with store owners, community leaders, and organizations in a comprehensive… Read More

Just think of this Sunday’s Big BIG Tour as one BIG open house. SNIA and the Shaw Neighborhood Housing Corp (SNHC) are proud to partner and represent our neighborhood, at the start of this year’s tour – which takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday. It’s it’s the only free city-wide tour of for-sale residential properties, featuring about 100 of them – including several in Shaw.  The tour is self-guided and… Read More

At Monday night’s general meeting, we heard from Mike Petetit, chair of Lafayette Square’s safety committee.  The neighborhood’s approach to crime has proven wildly successful for them, taking them from the 27th safest neighborhood to the 9th safest in two years.  Without a taxing district. This is so much more than citizen patrols. The approach involves everything from “observe and report” methods that have worked so well for Shaw in the past, to timely impact… Read More