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Cut & Paste: Activist Elizabeth Vega is outspoken about Art House and her house arrest

Elizabeth Vega is on the front porch of Art House, talking about a child's chalk drawing on the bricks.
Nancy Fowler | St. Louis Public Radio
Elizabeth Vega is on the front porch of Art House, talking about a child's chalk drawing on the bricks.

St. Louis artist and activist Elizabeth Vega spends a lot of time in her home.

It’s a place in north St. Louis known as Art House, that she bought in 2015. There, she provides space for sign-making and other activities related to protest actions. She also works with local children to create kites, collages and other art to help them process their feelings. Recently, she spent five days and nights at Art House without leaving. An ankle monitoring device kept her tethered to her home.

In our latest Cut & Paste podcast, we talk with Vega about the assault charge and conviction that led to her house-arrest and probation sentence, and why working with children is an important part of her activism.

St. Louis Public Radio's Willis Ryder Arnold and Nancy Fowler discuss art, activism and ankle monitors with St. Louis activist Elizabeth Vega.

Elizabeth Vega reflects on the art created in her her home, called Art House.
Credit Willis Ryder Arnold | St. Louis Public Radio
Elizabeth Vega reflects on the art created in her her home, called Art House.

Here’s a little of what you’ll hear in the podcast:

  • Vega, on wearing an ankle monitor: “There would be times that I would like get ready to walk out the door and realize that, 'Oh, wait, I’m under house arrest.'”
  • About how her talents lie more in the writing realm rather than the visual arts arena: “I co-founded the Artivists but they don’t let me do lettering.”
  • What Vega asks herself as she works with kids: “How do we instill in them the creativity and imagination so they can re-envision a new world?”

Look for new Cut & Paste (#cutpastestl) podcastsevery few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts focusing on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to Cut & Paste through this link.

The podcast is sponsored by SPACE Architecture + Design.

Follow Willis and Nancy on Twitter: @WillisRArnoldand @NancyFowlerSTL

Please help St. Louis Public Radio find artists to feature on Cut & Paste. Tell us which artists and cultural themes deserve a closer look.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.
Willis Ryder Arnold is an arts and culture reporter for St. Louis Public Radio. He has contributed to NPR affiliates, community stations, and nationally distributed radio programs, as well as Aljazeera America, The New York Times blogs, La Journal de la Photographie, and LIT Magazine. He is a graduate of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and a recipient of the Society of Professional Journalist’s award for Radio In-Depth Reporting.