COCA - Center of Creative Arts

For 35 years, COCA has been a leading, multidisciplinary community arts organization committed to enriching lives and building community through the arts. As an innovative model for arts education and nationally accredited for artistic and educational excellence, COCA is the largest community arts center of its kind in Missouri and serves as a regional hub for learning in and through the arts for children and adults from all backgrounds and skill levels. Sitting at a literal crossroads between extremely low-income communities and very affluent neighborhoods, COCA was founded with the intention of being a safe space for learning and coming together across boundaries of geography, race, and class. In doing so, COCA has grown to become one of the most diverse cultural institutions in St. Louis, a position bolstered by a commitment to accessibility. As a leader in arts education, and the largest multidisciplinary arts institution in St. Louis, we annually serve more than 50,000 people of all ages, ability levels, and backgrounds. Through dance, vocal music, theatre, art and design, and beyond, we nurture the artistic and creative potential in our students and in our community.

COCA offers arts-based events, training, and programming to:
• Classes and Camps: Programs in dance, theatre, voice, and art & design.
• Pre-Professional Division: a youth development vehicle for career and college-oriented students, ages 9-18, offering highly-customized, rigorous, and diverse training and comprehensive support services designed to help talented low-income youth.
• COCAedu: Serving local schools/community sites through semester-long collaborative arts integration residencies, after-school arts classes, and professional development for teachers.
• COCAbiz: Developing creativity, communication skills, and adaptive capacities in the workplace through public programs and corporate learning initiatives.
• Performance and Exhibitions: COCA is a presenter and a producer of live performances (COCA Presents) and visual arts exhibitions (Millstone Gallery).
• Community and Public Programs: Hands-on arts engagement and site-specific programming aimed at community building.