ST. LOUIS – Theatre, music or art, there are many great opportunities to immerse yourself into the fine arts around St. Louis. So much so, that one local arts scene earned some new praise on a national level.

Forbes published a story Monday claiming that St. Louis is home to “America’s Most Exciting Emerging Arts District.” The write-up honors the Grand Center Arts District in the Grand Center neighborhood.

Within a half-mile radius, Forbes contributor Chadd Scott says the district offers an impressive symphony hall, arts hotel, literary café and bold food concept among other artsy venues.

Powell Hall and Fox Theatre stand out, but above all, Scott lauds “a contemporary art museum with a knack for exhibiting the next big thing next door to another arts museum housed in a building globally recognized as an architectural marvel.”

The article adds that the Kranzberg Foundation has helped many around the district support their visions for art. Scott says Grand Center offers proximity to several existing arts institutions and available, affordable real estate.

“We truly believe that artists are the soul of our city and that when we nurture the arts, we affect health and wealth in our region,” said Chris Hansen, Executive Director for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, in the article. “We see the arts broadly as one of the great reasons to live in St. Louis, work in St. Louis, visit St. Louis. It’s part of economic development. It’s part of creating a vibrant community that’s connected, and without it, nothing else looks quite the same or feels quite the same.”

Before this praise, Forbes also coined St. Louis as a city that “completely embodies the American experience” based on its public art initiatives and history.