On a leafy street in Clayton, you can find “Man on Horse.” At Lewis Park in University City, there’s “Fish on a Bicycle,” while “Looking Up” is located in Forest Park. You can spot “Treemonisha” on a highway on-ramp in Lafayette Square and “Jelly Babies” at the entrance of the children’s room at the Central Library downtown.
For four decades, the Gateway Foundation has enhanced the visual appeal of St. Louis by placing art installations around the city. Their efforts extend far beyond Citygarden, the sculpture park they inaugurated downtown in 2009, where they continue to introduce new works. The foundation is responsible for the seven bronze statues by Carl Milles at the Missouri Botanical Garden, “Thinker on Rock” at WashU, and “China, China” at the airport. If a piece of public art in the city has brought you joy or prompted you to look closer, it likely originated from the Gateway Foundation. Their legacy boasts 70 sculptures throughout St. Louis and an impressive investment of $136 million.
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Despite all its achievements, the foundation has operated with a low profile. When journalists inquired about the Gateway Foundation, they were often met with courteous deflection. It has been reported that the late Teresa and Aaron Fischer established the organization, with family members still involved, yet few details have been disclosed publicly.
However, this is changing—albeit gradually. To commemorate the foundation’s 40th anniversary, executive director Heather Sweeney shared insights about its vision with SLM, and plans to highlight its work on social media in the coming days and weeks. Still, the foundation prefers that its accomplishments speak for themselves. In a twist on the classic line from The Wizard of Oz, it wishes for people to focus on the wonders of Oz rather than the individuals behind the curtain.
And what wonders they are! The “Man on Horse” sculpture is by the renowned artist Fernando Botero. Citygarden features pieces like “Untitled (Ringed Figure)” by Keith Haring and “Eros” by Igor Mitorag. A new piece by Nick Cave is set to be installed in The Ville neighborhood next year, among many others.
Sweeney remarks, “We’ve collaborated with the city and county, neighborhood associations, and various nonprofit organizations to create spaces that showcase these acclaimed works in your everyday environment, allowing you to discover them joyously within your community.”
The foundation’s contributions extend beyond sculpture; its Gyo Obata Fellowship was established in honor of the pioneering architect Gyo Obata, who served on its board for two decades. This fellowship places undergraduate students in paid roles within St. Louis arts institutions, fostering a valuable pipeline for future arts administrators. The foundation also sponsors The Great Rivers Biennial in partnership with the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, which annually recognizes three emerging or mid-career artists in the region, awarding them each $25,000 and a place at CAM. Since 2001, they have also worked to illuminate the Gateway Arch—one reason they promote their efforts as “bringing art, design, and light into public spaces across the region.”
Long before establishing its own space, Gateway Foundation was placing sculptures throughout the city (its first installation was at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1988). This work continues today, with two new installations added in the past year at St. Louis Community College-Wildwood and in front of Craft Alliance. They have plans for additional sculptures along the Brickline Greenway and the new Tower Grove Connector in the coming months. You can view the complete map of their current installations online. Sweeney states, “Our investments have always been in good design. For us, the focus has been on creating spaces that can accommodate works of this caliber and artists of this acclaim, intentionally pairing the location with the artwork.”
