What
comes to mind when you think of St. Louis? Tara Daniels hopes it is art.

“St.
Louis has a great art history,” Daniels said. “I think some people think that’s
over.”

For
Daniels, that history is still going strong. The 26-year-old is one of two associate
directors of the St. Lou Fringe festival, an uncensored and unjuried art
festival.

Daniels’ job is to connect the city’s businesses to the arts, and to connect St. Louis
arts organizations to each other.

“Now
they’re a part of Fringe and actively supporting the arts.” Daniels said.
“[They’re] starting to care more.”

Growing
up, Daniels loved art, but she thought of it more as a hobby than a career
possibility. She gave the corporate world a go, working a job focused on taxes
and the IRS. She soon realized it was time to pursue her true passion.

“I
was completely unhappy because I knew it wasn’t my purpose,” she said.

Daniels
decided to quit her job and go back to school to be an art teacher.

“For
me, art is important because it’s about telling a story. Everyone has stories
to tell,” Daniels said. “For St. Louis, we’re trying to tell our stories again,
and we’re starting to listen to each other again.”

This
week, Daniels will share seven things in St. Louis that have made an impact on
her in the last year.

“I
picked things that have been really big for my world in the past year; the cool
things I see in St. Louis that I wish other people could see as well,” she said.
“The things that motivate me and keep me going.”