Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

The Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (LNAC) is a non-profit performance space, art gallery, and community center located in the historic Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Since March 1994, the organization has been the forefront of art spaces committed to the DIY ethic in St. Louis and the Midwest, holding the position as the longest-running "Do-It-Yourself" music venue in the region and fourth-longest-running in the United States behind ABC No Rio in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City, the Che Cafe in La Jolla, California, and 924 Gilman Street in Oakland, California. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Music Venue

As a non-profit project, Lemp donates a majority of the money to the musical performers. Its primary audience is the St. Louis community's youth, particularly anyone involved in artistic endeavors. While the all-ages venue frequently hosts small concerts, the performers (chosen by the Board of Directors running the establishment) are of a non-commercial nature. The walls are lined with exhibits of visual artwork, often with themes of encouraging a social consciousness.

The Lemp's main premise on limitations for performers state they do not promote "violent or reckless behavior or through a discriminatory, lewd, degrading or immoral message." There is no smoking inside the venue and the consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited. There is a tendency towards inviting experimental music acts, particularly ones classifiable as noise rock, art rock, or noise music. Musical genres include but are not limited to: free improvisation, folk, punk, post-punk, math rock, hardcore, and no wave. Lemp also hosts a three-day festival "to link mid-west experimental performers whose work could be associated with noise" called NoisefeSTL.^{[5] [6]}

Not limited to music performance, Lemp also hosts poetry and theater.

In recent years Lemp has offered a program called Orchestrating Diversity, "a social change program which empowers young people through the education and performance of orchestral music".^[7]

Less publicized are the meetings held by the Lemp Neighborhood Association.^[8]

Official site

Coordinates: 38°35′39″N 90°13′07″W / 38.59409°N 90.21852°W / 38.59409; -90.21852