- Merry Krib-mas – From Smino and Friends - Sunday, December 25, 2016
- A Celebration of Life and Progress - Wednesday, November 9, 2016
- A Music Showcase For All Your Senses by Bloom - Tuesday, November 8, 2016
This Thursday will be a truly special and meaningful night as The Finesse Center celebrates a sneak peak of the center and the birth day of Tyrell Thompson.
As you may recall, Tyrell Thompson was an artist in the city of St. Louis whose death made a major impact for the young creative community (http://deluxmag.com/dearest-black-men-st-louis-mo/) . I had a chance to sit down with the younger sister of Tyrell and the creative behind this community art center to talk about the event this Thursday, November 10th.
In June of this year, an artist was slain, but following that, donations for a community art center in his name began to pour in.
“All this support has been overwhelming. We’ve received a large amount of support from friends, family, and even strangers. People have been dedicating time, donating money and even purchasing his art and other merchandise we’ve created,” says Kayla.
Kayla came up with the idea of a community art center after being asked where people can donate money to the family. She drew from the idea of Tyrell’s apartment where people stopped over to create art in a safe environment. She instantly created a GoFundMe, and as of November, she has raised nearly ten-thousand dollars for the center with the help of the community and different fundraising events.
“This center means everything to me. It’s a manifestation of Tyrell’s dreams, work and spirit. I hope to make a home for all displaced artist and artist who don’t have a place to work. I think it will organically turn into a place where everyone feels comfortable to network and get work done,” says Kayla.
His work will be memorialized on the walls of the Finesse Center, which is located in the heart of downtown on the 4th floor of 1204 Washington Ave. The event will be at this same location and serve as a sneak peak of the progress Kayla and the community have made. It also falls on the birth date of Tyrell Thompson.
“Its my brother’s birthday so I feel like this is an opportunity for me to celebrate his life. The fundraiser was on my dad’s birthday and that was kind of for both of them. This day is specifically for Tyrell,” says Kayla.
This Thursday will serve as not only a celebration for progress, but also as a celebration of the life and art of Tyrell Thompson. May his legacy carry on and his artistic soul never be forgotten.
“I want to make sure his work lives forever,” says Kayla.
Tickets can be purchased until the day of the event at http://www.finessecenterexclusive.eventbrite.com and donations can still be made online at https://www.gofundme.com/finessecenter.
