Meet Our Artist in Residence
Thursday, June 25, 2026
As part of Roadmap to Equity: An Anniversary Experience on Tuesday, June 30, CHCM is proud to feature Janessa Williams (ColorTripz) as our Artist in Residence.
Learn more about Janessa’s background and the inspiration behind her collection, “St. Louis is Worth Saving,” by reading her artist bio and artist statement below. Then, join us in person on Tuesday to experience her work as part of our anniversary celebration.
Artist Bio
Janessa Williams | ColorTripz
Janessa Williams also known as ColorTripz, is a St. Louis–based artist working across acrylic painting, digital illustration, and graphic design. She has served communities throughout St. Louis as a Teaching Artist with multiple nonprofits, leading mural projects, studio residencies, and community-based workshops for youth and adults. Janessa is passionate about helping creatives reconnect with and heal their inner artist, fostering spaces for self-expression and growth. Her work has been exhibited throughout the region and is recognized for its bold, vibrant use of color to celebrate the richness and beauty of melanated skin, while exploring themes of social justice, feminism, and Black culture. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Relations from Full Sail University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Southeast Missouri State University.
Artist Statement
“St. Louis is Worth Saving” (quote from Precious Barry) is a series of paintings that examines
the challenges, contradictions, and possibilities that define life in the St. Louis region. Through
themes of educational inequity, environmental injustice, food insecurity, and community
resilience, the work explores how historical decisions continue to shape present-day realities
while asking viewers to imagine a more equitable future.
The series was inspired by a simple yet powerful question: How can two people living only a few
miles apart experience vastly different outcomes in health, education, opportunity, and quality of
life? Throughout St. Louis, communities facing school closures, environmental contamination,
food deserts, and decades of disinvestment often exist alongside neighborhoods with abundant
resources and opportunity. These disparities are not accidental. They are the result of policies,
practices, and systems that have shaped where people live, learn, work, and thrive.
Works such as 125, All the Bells Not Rung, and A Weapon of Mass Destruction focus on the
human impact behind the statistics. They honor the students affected by school closures, the
families living with the consequences of Coldwater Creek contamination, and the residents
navigating food insecurity across the region. While each painting addresses a specific issue,
together they reveal a broader story about access, neglect, and the lasting effects of inequality.
Yet this series is not solely about hardship. At its heart is The Village, a reminder that St. Louis
has always been sustained by the strength of its people. Despite the city’s challenges,
communities continue to organize, create, advocate, rebuild, and care for one another. From
neighborhood gardens and small businesses to grassroots activism and mutual aid, St.
Louisans repeatedly demonstrate that our greatest resource is each other.
The title, “St. Louis is Worth Saving,” is both a statement and an invitation. It challenges
narratives that reduce neighborhoods to their struggles and instead recognizes the people,
histories, cultures, and possibilities that exist within them. This body of work is not intended to
place blame or inspire guilt. Rather, it asks viewers to pause, reflect, and consider their role in
shaping the future of our city.
St. Louis is a city with scars, but it is also a city of resilience, innovation, and hope. If we are
willing to confront our history, invest in our communities, and listen to one another, we have the
power to build a future where opportunity is not determined by a ZIP code. The stories told in
this series serve as a reminder that every neighborhood matters, every voice matters, and that
together, we are worth saving.
