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Perspectives from the Park: Artwork that Gives Back
Every icon looks a little different depending on who’s looking at it.
That’s the idea behind Perspectives from the Park, a collection of original prints created by St. Louis artists who each took on the same challenge: to interpret “The Arch Belongs to Everyone” through their own lens. The result is a striking range of perspectives and proof that one landmark can hold as many meanings as there are people who admire it.
Beyond their beauty, these prints do real work. Proceeds from every purchase directly fuel our mission, championing the conservation and preservation of Gateway Arch National Park, providing educational opportunities, and creating free, welcoming programs for the entire community to enjoy.
The Perspectives collection is growing. This year, we commissioned new prints from two local St. Louis artists, Carolyn Lewis and Lauren Knight, joining the five original designs from last year’s inaugural series — all still available for purchase. Get to know this year’s artists, then start (or add to) your collection. Each design is limited to just 100 signed and editioned prints, so be sure to get your favorite piece before it’s gone!
Browse the Perspectives Collection
Rooted in Blooms, Reaching in Steel by Carolyn Lewis
Carolyn Lewis is a mixed media artist based out of St. Louis whose work centers on storytelling through richly layered surfaces. Using vintage textiles, collage elements, and acrylic paint on canvas, she builds compositions that reflect themes of healing, connection, and community. Her work invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and find meaning within texture, history, and color.
“The themes I am focusing on are:
- Growth…locally and nationally.
- Seasons of change…new local businesses, new changes at Kiener Plaza, a nod to the new grounds at the Arch.
- Enjoying nature…the local wildflowers and cherry blossom trees, the Mississippi River, visiting our national parks.
All of these things EVERYONE can enjoy and the Arch provides the space for growth, stories, memories, history, and belonging.”
Celebrating the Arch with September Native Flowers by Lauren Knight
Lauren Knight is a St. Louis-based self-taught painter, avid gardener, and former writer who began painting in 2017. Her works range from still life scenes including a variety of textiles, plants, and flowers, to portraiture, to scenes of her beloved backyard garden.
“The Arch is for Everyone, because wildlife is for everyone. This painting highlights the naturescape, including the beautiful native prairie flowers in bloom during the late summer months on the grounds at the Gateway Arch. Coreopsis, purple and yellow coneflower, the fruits of the dogwood, seed pods of the false indigo, purple poppy mallow, and asters burst in color and texture in the foreground of the Arch at sunset, reflecting a pink September sky.”
Perspectives from the Park: An Artist Talk
On August 27, the Foundation hosted its second annual Perspectives from the Park: An Artist Talk, welcoming members of the St. Louis community to our office for a conversation with Lauren Knight and Carolyn Lewis. The two artists offered a rare look into their creative process while they shared how the Gateway Arch and its surrounding landscape shaped their original works for the 2026 Perspectives collection. During the Q&A that followed, Knight and Lewis spoke to themes of nature, growth, community, and belonging, all a fitting reminder of why vibrant, well-loved public spaces like Gateway Arch National Park are worth protecting.
