Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Walden.
Hi Paige, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My biggest constant in life has always been dance. Since I was five years old, movement has been my language — the way I’ve made sense of the world. It carried me through grade school and college, built a lifelong habit of healthy expression, and helped me navigate everything from my parents’ divorce to the loneliness of starting over in new schools. Dance has always been where I return to find myself.
The moment when artistic expression most profoundly saved me came in 2017. My friend and fellow Webster University Dance Department alum, Rain Stippec, was shot eight times in the torso in a random act of gun violence. The news stopped me cold. It was terrifyingly close to home — and I was desperate to help.
But what could a twenty-something dancer possibly do for a friend fighting for her life on the operating table? In that chaos, a few of us Webster alumni did what we knew best: we created. We organized a benefit performance for Rain, bringing together the St. Louis dance community in a collective act of love and purpose.
The concert featured MADCO, Saint Louis Dance Theater (formerly The Big Muddy Dance Company), Ashleyliane Dance Company, musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony, and dancers from Lindenwood University, Washington University, and SIUE. Over two weekends, we raised $12,000 for Rain’s recovery — but the impact went far beyond dollars. In that process, I saw the arts at their most powerful: uniting people, giving hope, and transforming pain into action.
That experience ignited a deeper question in me: how could the arts community use that same power to address the violence and trauma affecting our city every day? I began attending Violence Prevention Commission meetings, speaking with police officers, surgeons, FBI agents, and victim advocates. I wanted to understand community violence as a public health issue — and to explore how the arts could be part of the healing process.
Through those conversations, one truth kept surfacing: at-risk youth need three things — a safe space to belong, consistent positive adult role models, and a creative outlet to express themselves. I initially thought about launching a new healing arts program, but soon realized St. Louis already had incredible arts organizations offering high-quality programming. The problem wasn’t a lack of opportunity — it was a lack of access.
When I asked local arts leaders what prevented low-income families from participating, the answer was unanimous: transportation. Scholarships existed, but many went unused because families simply couldn’t get their children to classes. Parents were working multiple jobs. Public transit wasn’t reliable or safe after dark.
That realization became the seed for something new. In 2018, we founded CommUNITY Arts STL and launched our pilot initiative, the Community Arts Bus (CAB) — a program designed to remove that one barrier standing between kids and their potential. CAB connects youth ages 6–18 to existing arts programs across the city, pairing each child with a volunteer driver — our “CABBIE” — who not only provides a ride, but also mentorship, encouragement, and consistency.
Today, CAB kids are discovering their voices through dance, music, piano, visual arts, literacy, and even trade skills like carpentry. Through our pARTner organizations — Lolly’s Place, Pianos for People, LitShop, Central Studio Academy, and Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center — we’re bridging the gap between opportunity and access, one ride at a time.
What began as an act of love for one friend has grown into a movement — a community using the arts to heal, connect, and drive change throughout St. Louis.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is any road ever smooth?
In 2020, the world came to a sudden standstill — and so did I. While everything outside felt uncertain, everything inside my own home was unraveling. I had just become a new mother, full of hope and exhaustion, but at the same time, my marriage was falling apart. I found myself navigating the unthinkable: a global shutdown, a newborn, and the weight of leading CommUNITY Arts STL while picking up more work as the director of Central Studio Academy of Dance.
There were days when the road ahead felt impossible — when I truly believed I’d have to let go of my passion project, CommUNITY Arts STL. In that moment of doubt, I turned to someone who had always been a steady force: my boss, Mary Ellen, at Central Studio. We sat together, both feeling the strain of keeping our respective nonprofit missions alive — hers, Collective Motion; mine, CommUNITY Arts STL.
What began as a conversation about survival became an opportunity for rebirth. We realized that our work was rooted in the same belief: that art has the power to build and heal community. Together, we decided not to let either dream fade. Instead, we merged our efforts, joining Collective Motion and CommUNITY Arts STL into one united organization dedicated to cultivating community at the intersection of art and health.
Looking back, I know that without Mary Ellen’s support — and the courage to reimagine what we had built — CommUNITY Arts STL might not have survived. But through that season of loss and uncertainty, something stronger emerged: a community-driven movement that continues to thrive today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Like many nonprofit leaders, I wear a lot of hats — sometimes literally. By day, I’m in my dance studio surrounded by little ones pretending to be butterflies, making music with the shuffle of our tap shoes, and discovering joy through movement. When I take off my ballet skirt, another role begins. I’m behind the wheel, driving kids to and from their arts programs, coordinating with pARTner nonprofits, recruiting and supporting our CABBIE drivers, writing grants, designing marketing materials, choreographing for our annual production — all these tasks are buzzing in my head while waiting in school car lines to pick up our CAB kids.
My specialty has always been play — the art of imagination. I’ve been gifted with the ability to connect with children, to see the spark of creativity light up in their eyes. Whether I’m in a classroom, on a playground, or exchanging a smile with a child in a grocery store, that simple connection reminds me why I do this work. When the administrative tasks pile up or the logistics feel heavy, a single child’s laugh or a proud moment in class restores me completely.
That love of play has become something deeper, a calling to fight for the children who need access to the arts the most. The kids whose single mother is battling cancer and can’t drive. The niece of a devoted aunt stepping up as guardian. The grandchildren of a grandmother who moves mountains just to see them thrive. For me, it’s personal. After the last dance class ends, I’m still packing my car with CAB kids, listening to their stories, cheering them on after a hard day, and reminding them — in small, everyday ways — that they belong to something bigger.
Because at the heart of all the hats I wear, there’s really just one mission: to make sure every child has the chance to feel seen, inspired, and connected through the arts.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
We are the only program in St. Louis built around this model — connecting young people to a world of enriching arts opportunities across the city. I often imagine what the next decade could look like: streets alive with color and energy, CAB vans rolling through neighborhoods, each one filled with kids buzzing with anticipation for their next creative adventure.
I see a vibrant catalog of programs — dance, music, theater, visual art, digital media — waiting to be discovered in every corner of St. Louis. I see classrooms filled to the brim, community studios humming with energy, and our grassroots pARTner programs flourishing as more children find their place in the arts.
This vision isn’t just about expansion; it’s about transformation — building a city where access to creativity is as natural and expected as a ride home.
Pricing:
- $50 – provides arts education tuition for a month
- $150 – provides one classroom art supplies for out in-school Arts & Literacy program
- $350 – provides a full classroom of books for our in-school Arts & Literacy program
- $500 – sponsors a commUNITY block party
- $1000 – supports on CAB kids arts education for a year
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.communityartsstl.oeg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communityartsstl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communityartsstl
