Here’s something I've been thinking lately: we often confuse art with creativity.

They're closely related, but they aren’t the same.

Making art is a craft of self-expression and often takes practice and skill. Creativity, though, belongs to all of us. It’s there when you invent a new recipe, solve a problem at work or figure out a better way to do just about anything.

We don't always label those moments as "creative," but they are.

That's the kind of creativity local artist Jayvn Solomon hopes to inspire through Loutopia, a collaborative community project that invites people to imagine what St. Louis could become. He's helping bridge people and neighborhoods through a shared act of imagination — one art installation at a time.

Read his story below.

—Paola Rodriguez, Engagement Producer

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Earlier this month I drove to Kansas City to soak in the World Cup energy as Colombia — my maternal homeland — played Ghana at Arrowhead Stadium. I didn’t have tickets to the game, I just wanted to be around the energy of the tournament.

I heard KC was having issues getting people around for the global event, but as a visitor I didn’t sense any. Union Station, the fan festival, and the buses to the stadium were all right near each other. The streetcar glided through downtown. It was nice.

And if I'm being honest, I felt jealous.

Kansas City doesn’t have a shiny, towering national monument like the Gateway Arch. But as a visitor, I found myself feeling that their downtown was better than ours. More modern. Less sparse. And their art museum is free too — just like ours. 

To be fair, I was a visitor experiencing a well-curated series of sights and scenes. And I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that Kansas City’s downtown is the beneficiary of billions of dollars in capital investments flowing in over the last few years. The $55 million going to St. Louis’ downtown from Rams settlement funds is less than 1% of that.

That jealousy sat with me the whole drive home. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it. It’s got me thinking about how I’m investing here in St. Louis — in us.

I recently wrote about the difference between hope and optimism. Hope, I’ve found, is abundant among St. Louisans — and my sense of hope has expanded thanks to the people here. Optimism is more of a mixed bag — understandably so. But mine is still high, and I like to think it’s infectious. 

So, for now, that’s what I’ve got to give. Relentless, authentic, optimism in St. Louis, its future, and especially its people. 

—Luis Antonio Perez, Lead Producer

Jayvn Solomon sits on a couch at Loutopia’s studio in downtown St. Louis on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Paola Rodriguez / St. Louis Public Radio

Jayvn Solomon believes the future of St. Louis starts with something simple: conversation and connection. Through Loutopia, a community art project, he's inviting residents to imagine — and build — that future together.

His vision is inspired by solarpunk, a design movement that imagines greener, more connected communities where art, nature and sustainable infrastructure work together. 

“It was really kind of born as a bit of an existential crisis and means of escaping into some type of creative outlet for me,” Solomon said.

Solomon began exploring how elements like trees and green spaces could transform parts of the city dominated by concrete and pavement. Those ideas became a series of renderings imagining what a greener St. Louis could look like before evolving into workshops, installations and community gatherings.

But Solomon said he quickly realized that bringing that vision to life could not happen alone.

“If we really want the future to look like this here in St. Louis and beyond, it can't just be me.”

That belief shaped how Loutopia grew. Instead of creating a vision and asking people to follow, Solomon focused on building relationships and creating spaces where people could contribute.

The result surprised him. 

“People came in with medical student backgrounds; people came with architectural backgrounds,” he shared. “The sky's the limit in terms of identities and backgrounds and personal lives and you know experiences, but we all still came here to connect over this creative thing.”

For Solomon, that connection is where art becomes a powerful tool.

“Something I've always kind of clung to and really was fascinated by is how art can be used as a tool. How can we use this as a tool of convening, as a tool of building and re-imagining?”

That idea came to life through “This Must Be the Place,” an exhibition from earlier this year that featured artwork created by Solomon and community collaborators inspired by one question: What could St. Louis become?

One piece especially captures the philosophy of the project: a community mural inside Trust, a restored historic building in downtown. Painted by roughly 50 residents, it depicts two possible paths: one reflecting today's challenges, the other showing a future filled with trees, renewable energy and thriving ecosystems.

To Solomon, it represents a choice.

“What are we choosing?” he said. “Are we choosing progress, or are we choosing the same way we've been doing things?”

He acknowledges the challenges the region faces, but believes those challenges do not have to define St. Louis’ future.

“We acknowledge the past, we respect history,” he said. “But what are we learning from that?”

For Solomon, that lesson is simple: people with different backgrounds have to build a future together.

“I genuinely believe that we don’t really have a choice,” Solomon said. “We all want to see St. Louis win.”

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