awards for arts achievement

As executive director of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Jill A. McGuire leads all functions of the organization and serves as a liaison to the broader community, advocating for the advancement of the arts in the region and beyond. She has led the Regional Arts Commission since its inception in 1985, and presided over a period of consistent growth in tax revenues, resulting in a larger grant pool that has allowed more opportunities for cultural institutions in the region. In fall 2003, McGuire, her staff, and the board of the Regional Arts Commission marked a major milestone for the organization by opening its new home and site of the area’s first Cultural Resource Center, which was developed to meet the everyday needs of the region’s arts groups, both emerging and established. McGuire’s leadership in the arts extends beyond the St. Louis region and the state of Missouri. A founding board member for Arts for America, a national political action committee for the arts, McGuire has been a long-time advocate for greater public support for the arts. In addition, she is often invited to consult with local arts and civic leadership in other cities. The Arts Alliance of Jackson-Hinds County, MS; the Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh; and arts agencies in Newark, NJ, Charlotte, NC, and Albuquerque, NM, have all benefited from her vast expertise. An adjunct professor for Webster University, McGuire is the community and cultural policy instructor for the Master of Arts Administration Program, and has been a guest speaker, lecturer, and presenter at other major universities in the area, including University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University, and Webster University.