Activate your power to vote! Participate in town-hall style discussion and an interactive exhibition, enjoy a DJ set inspired by civil liberties, and vote on drawings made for the Transform Your Hood campaign by students from Grand Center Arts Academy, Saint Louis University, Sumner High School, Vashon High School, and Washington University in St. Louis. The winner will receive a cash prize and the opportunity for their drawing to be turned into a poster and distributed to encourage voting efforts around the 2024 presidential election. Volunteers will be available to help eligible individuals register to vote in Missouri and Illinois.

Schedule

• 5:00 pm – Bar opens; DJ set by Big Esco
• 7:00 pm – Discussion with Brittany Raji Alberty, Christopher Loss, and Kelly McGowan
• 8:00 pm – Announcement of Poster Design Competition Winner

Speakers

Brittany Raji Alberty is an award-winning outreach and engagement consultant with over a decade of experience in non-profit and small business campaigns. She helps organizations build revenue-generating relationships online that sell out events, move products, and cultivate engaged communities. Brittany is also the founder of RICH Mamas Club, a thriving community with over 550 members nationwide. She has coached over 100 women business owners across the country. As a proud wife and mother, Brittany believes that community is key to success.

Christopher Loss is a local entrepreneur, curator, and visionary artist known for his distinctive blend of urban and natural themes. Over the last four years, Christopher has passionately cultivated a vibrant art hub and community space in Saint Louis with his Cherokee Street storefront (Field Club Media) as a focal point for creativity and collaboration. His inclusive artistic approach draws inspiration from everyday experiences and public recreational areas, while also fostering close collaborations with emerging local artists from diverse backgrounds across the city to amplify their voices and perspectives. Christopher’s work embodies accessibility and depth, reflecting the essence of local inspirations and everyday life experiences.

Kelly McGowan is a proud St. Louisan and health equity advocate. Kelly has worked in New York and St. Louis to co-create various wellness programs addressing the health inequities that persist among Black Americans. Kelly has participated in various panels and has been featured in print and radio appearances addressing health equity efforts in the St. Louis region. Most recently, Kelly has founded the new entity Transform 314. Through this effort, Kelly is working to amplify community in local decision-making processes to ensure all St. Louis neighborhoods are designed for their inhabitants to thrive.

Transform Your Hood is organized in partnership with Speak Up St. Louis’s Quinton Ward, Designer and Co-Founder/Host; Transform314’s Kelly McGowan, Founder and Executive Director, and Stephon “Phonzz” White, Designer; and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis’s Michelle Dezember, Director of Learning and Engagement, and Miriam Ruiz, Education Manager.