Regional Arts Commission chair responds as agency raises concerns about potential absorption into Explore St. Louis
A governance fight emerges around arts funding and tourism marketing structures
A leadership dispute has surfaced around the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC), with the commission’s chair publicly defending the agency’s role as RAC officials warn that the organization could be “integrated” into Explore St. Louis, the region’s destination marketing organization and operator of the America’s Center Convention Complex.
RAC is a long-standing public-facing funder of arts and culture in the St. Louis region, awarding grants and administering programs that support artists and nonprofit organizations. Explore St. Louis is the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission operating under a “doing business as” name and focused on conventions, meetings and leisure travel promotion.
What RAC is, and why its structure matters
RAC’s commissioners have been publicly identified in official commission meeting materials, including chair Rosalind Johnson and a board roster listing a president and CEO position. The commission has played a central role in distributing public funds for arts activity in the region.
In recent years, the City of St. Louis has used federal pandemic relief dollars to underwrite arts support through RAC. A city Community Development Administration overview of neighborhood transformation investments states that the City awarded more than $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to RAC to deploy operating, program and artist support grants within the city, noting that the map reflected organizational awards and did not include 195 artist support grants.
Integration concerns intersect with heightened scrutiny
The debate over whether RAC could be absorbed into a tourism-oriented entity is unfolding amid broader public attention to how hotel tax and other public revenues are governed and allocated across St. Louis institutions. In March 2026, Missouri’s State Auditor’s Office announced an investigation into RAC, signaling increased oversight of the commission’s operations and use of taxpayer funds.
The prospect of restructuring governance has been raised in other St. Louis civic bodies as well. A separate consolidation effort has involved Explore St. Louis and regional sports-related authorities, with proposals advanced to reduce overlapping responsibilities and revise the composition and appointment mechanisms of regional boards.
Key questions facing policymakers and arts stakeholders
Control of dedicated revenues: Any reorganization that shifts administrative control could affect how arts-designated public dollars are prioritized, awarded, and audited.
Independence and mission alignment: RAC’s grantmaking function differs from destination marketing and convention operations, raising questions about whether a combined structure could preserve program independence.
Transparency and accountability: Governance changes during an active state review could intensify demands for clear decision-making processes, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and public reporting.
At the center of the dispute is whether arts grantmaking should remain institutionally separate from the region’s tourism and convention apparatus, or be placed under a single administrative umbrella.
No final governance action was reflected in the most recent publicly available materials reviewed by the newsroom. The next steps are expected to depend on state-level processes, local board decisions, and the outcome of ongoing oversight activity affecting RAC.