As the labor hymn for which the organization is named reminds us, “Hearts starve as well as bodies…give us bread and give us roses.”

Bread and Roses Missouri amplifies and elevates the stories of working people through art, performance, and activism. We believe that cultural and creative expression are a means to effect deep and lasting social change.

Through art-making with professional teaching artists, our Youth Initiative shows nearly 600 BIPOC and immigrant youth per year how the arts can be a powerful tool to make change and to build community. Our Workers' Theatre Project, features productions about working class people and their struggles, and about the history of the Labor Movement. Often the performers ARE workers, like in our annual Workers' Opera, created by workers, for workers.

Mary Barber's 2024 Birthday Fundraiser

Raise Hands. Raise Funds

Team Members