Susan Greene graduated from Washington University School of Architecture and worked in the field for 11 years before honing her artistic skills and creating Paint Imagery in 1989. As one of the leading artistic painting companies in St. Louis, Greene specializes in faux, specialty and unique painted finishes on any surface, trompe l’oeile, wall murals, graphics and logos, hand-painted furniture, commissioned art on canvas and historic preservation.

Chris Berry co-founded brooksBerry Kitchens and Baths in 1994 and quickly established a reputation for designing and building award-winning projects. Since the retirement of co-founder Mike Brooks in 2012, Chris has continued to lead her staff in designing spectacular spaces. Chris has won numerous national and local design contests and has received five prestigious Sub-Zero International Kitchen Design awards. In 2011, Chris was given the Best Kitchen award by the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Lauren Strutman has specialized in the design of custom homes since graduating from Washington University in 1983. Lauren has a master of architecture and master of civil engineering in construction management and is a registered architect in both Missouri and Illinois. Lauren specializes in residential design as well as historic restoration, remodeling and additions. As a talented architect, Lauren has received the 2006 Excellence in Masonry Design for Private Residence from the Masonry Institute of St.

Anne Boedges established Anne Marie Design Studio in 2013 after being in the kitchen and bath industry for 15 years. With a bachelor of fine arts in interior design from Maryville University, Anne has the talent to make every project efficient as well as beautiful. Anne was selected as the Midwest Region Designer for The Tile Shop where she was featured in their annual holiday design book. She was an NKBA Bath Certification instructor at Meramec for two years and is a member of the local NKBA chapter.

For the first time ever, we are honoring female entrepreneurs of design. Local ladies who are at the top of their field paving the way for others within the design industry while also contributing to the greater St. Louis community in charitable ways. These fierce females are respected for their innovative thinking, award-winning projects and mentorship they have provided throughout their distinguished years in the industry. Join us in celebrating our 2016 Leading Ladies.

The luminous blue-gray squares on the rectangle canvas radiate light. They look like swaths of paint, but are, in fact, pieces of cut-up Hell Bank Notes, fake Chinese money that is ritually burned to give ancestors wealth in the afterlife. “I wanted the piece to be a reflection of ourselves, so I gave it this mirror quality,” Albert Kuo, 31, explains. “At the moment, I’m not certain what I feel about it. I’ll put it away for a while and reflect on the experience [of creating the work.]”