The St. Louis art scene has long been an important part of the city’s culture. From museums and galleries to art groups and fairs, St. Louis has remained a solid player in the art world.

But to continue on this path, the city must maintain its steady support of artists. This is the goal of one couple in South City.

James and Brea McAnally first began The Luminary Center for the Arts in 2007. They wanted to create a space that would allow artists to work on their art without having to worry about supporting themselves financially.

“There’s a statistic that’s been floating around for a long time that says about 90 percent of artists stop making work within 10 years of graduation,” Director of The Luminary Center for the Arts James McAnally said. “And we’ve noticed that artists move away in search of other opportunities because they didn’t feel like they could find them here, or they needed to get another job, or they just get busy with the rest of their life. “

The building for The Luminary is an old convent. The McAnallys were able to turn the simple nun dormitory rooms into artist residencies. These rooms are open for artists to apply for and then be able to stay at The Luminary for free. The center also supplies them with a network.

“We are really interested in working with emerging artists specifically,” McAnally said. “People who are out of school but are attempting to make [art] into a career and a livelihood but maybe need resources, or connections, or a network.”

The Luminary also provides artists with a studio to work in and the support that other artists give them.

“Even the social connection of being with other artists and other people at the same stage and going through the same process helps the creative process,” McAnally said. “But it also helps the quality of life of being an artist as well.”

The Luminary has a gallery room downstairs, as well as a separate space upstairs that they give to artists one at a time. The art displayed is not usually by the resident artists because of differing schedules, and the work must fit the theme of the exhibit.

“In the interest of trying to present the best end product we have to seek out artists from all over and we do it based on a theme,” McAnally said. “So it’s a concept first and then we find the work that fits that concept, and that doesn’t work as well when it’s just our residents.”

Although The Luminary supports artists through giving them a place to live, a studio and a great network, they don’t support them through their exhibits.

“I’m planning a retrospective of bringing a lot of people that have been in the studios together for a show,” McAnally said. “Because even though we are supporting their career we don’t get to end up actually supporting them through having them in our exhibitions very often, so we’re trying to figure out that balance right now.”

The space upstairs is a very special and unique part of The Luminary. It is a former chapel, and the space is given to artists one at a time to be converted into an exclusive exhibit created for the space.

“Artists are really attracted to [the space] because they have a blank space that’s enclosed and they can turn it into anything they want,” McAnally said. “It’s a former chapel so it has arched 20-foot ceilings, and it has really good natural light coming in. And we give it one artist at a time to work and create a project just for that space.”

The artist who is working on an exhibit in the chapel right now is Jill Downen. Downen is well known in the art scene and won a Guggenheim Fellowship Award earlier this year.

“The chapel space is interesting to me because it has qualities that resonate with ideas in my art practice,” Downen said. “It is a very intimate and spiritual space. It is also derived from an Italian style of architecture that considers human scale and movement. Many people might not be aware of this installation space, which is a former private chapel. I think that St. Louis has a special jewel here.”

Junior Nia Charrington visited The Luminary and was impressed by the gallery space, especially the old private chapel.

“I really liked the art gallery downstairs, but I also really loved the chapel,” Charrington said. “They give [the chapel] to artists one at a time so they can really develop the space and make it their own.”

Downen’s site-specific installation is called “dis(Mantle),” and it focuses on the relationship between the human body and architecture.

“It’s ultimately a space for quiet meditation,” Downen said. “Which is one of the themes in my work. My intent is to invite viewers into an installation that offers a quiet and thoughtful experience; one that draws them away from the fast paced nature of our lives.”

The Luminary is meant to be a long-term sustainable place that will be able to support artists for many years. One way of ensuring the sustainability was by making the center a not-for-profit organization. There is a general board of directors and the McAnallys are simply employees.

“We were really passionate about providing the resources for the artists instead of it being more of a do-it-yourself approach,” McAnally said. “We realized that we needed to formalize it and start to think in terms of creating a sustainable, long-term vision that would provide the resources for artists for a long time in the city.”

The Luminary is working hard to extend its reach in the art world. One of their newest projects is an international residency program, and it has already been a success.

“We’re starting an international residency program so artists from all over the world are applying,” McAnally said. “We have applications from five continents right now and we just posted it online and have already gotten an amazing response.”

The Luminary is a haven for artists to come and focus solely on their artwork.

“What makes the Luminary Center for the Arts special is that it understands creativity and it understands how to support artists in their creative endeavors,” Downen said. “The Luminary extends relationships and social networks in such a manner that helps artists experiment, take risks, and develop ideas.”

The center promotes and supports the future for young artists and creates a foundation for the future art scene in St. Louis.

“The center is very cool and it gives St. Louis a much-needed emphasis on contemporary art,” Charrington said. “It gives young St. Louis art majors a chance to really explore their field in St. Louis instead of going to another city, and gives an added flavor to the modern culture of St. Louis.”

The Luminary was able to fill a niche in the St. Louis art scene that needed to be filled.

“The Luminary is a unique place that needs to be on the map and in people’s minds as an integral part of the creative arts of St. Louis,” Downen said.