The Collective at 123 is a St. Louis-based group of artists creating work rooted in mythology, cultural relevance, and personal truth. Our practices are grounded in narrative bodies of work and a shared commitment to conceptual depth, fearless self-expression, and queer perspectives. Leaning into the spirit of "Say Art," we use art as conversation and connection—centering creativity, process, and a shared exploration of our ideas.

Collective Members work in community to have art events while keeping open hours for Say Art Studios & Galleries. Are you an artist who is interested in interviewing to join The Collective at 123? Click below to submit an application to interview to exhibit with this group of creatively motivated individuals.

Collective Member Application

If you look up 'identity' in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you'll find among the definitions and demonstrations of the word this statement: "His art reflects his cultural identity." Identity is so inextricable from art that even the dictionary, that most fundamental distillation of the meaning of a word, acknowledges the relationship.

So many factors can affect our identities: our ethnicity, our gender and sexuality, our neurotype, our body, our hometown, our religion, our interests, our politics and morals, our profession, our generation, and so much more. The groups we join, the values we embody, the lives we live all effect, and in turn are affected by, our identity.

An artist's identity is the context in which their work is produced. With this showcase, the Collective at 123 explores and elaborates on various aspects of our identities, all to give our audience an idea of where our work comes from. We hope that by letting you get to know us, you can better understand our art and the dialogue with the world around us that it represents.