JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A woman formerly of Chillicothe, Mo., marveled Wednesday at St. Joseph’s countless artistic avenues.

Now the Missouri Western Institute’s community arts director, Martha Greer said she no longer struggles to find something to do each weekend.

“In St. Joseph, it’s like — what are we going to do? There are so many choices,” Ms. Greer said. “It’s like Christmas time for the arts.”

The state agreed and put St. Joseph on its 2008 nice list.

Gov. Matt Blunt on Wednesday honored the city of St. Joseph with the Missouri Arts Council’s Creative Community award in the Capitol rotunda.

It was the second such award ever bestowed upon a Missouri city, as Columbia received the first designation in 2007. Mr. Blunt said the arts generate $767,000 in St. Joseph for local and state revenue and roughly 303 full-time jobs.

Statewide Council Chairman Michael Vangel pointed to the International Guitar Festival at Missouri Western State University as an example of how art can define and unite a community.

Teresa Fankhauser, executive director for the Allied Arts Council in St. Joseph, said five other communities applied for the award.

In its application, she said the council played up the city’s Trails West! summer arts festival, the 16 different organizations related to arts and bands regularly play in St. Joseph venues, such as Café Acoustic.

Expansion Management Magazine in 2007 also recognized St. Joseph and Buchanan County as the No. 1 small metro in business recruitment and attraction.

Ms. Fankhauser said all of the recognition could help the Chamber of Commerce in enticing more businesses to St. Joseph.

“We won this over Kansas City. We won this over St. Louis,” she said, shaking her head. “We have a professional symphony in a city of less than 80,000. I mean, um — hello.”

The state council is providing St. Joseph with roughly 15 street signs to tout the Creative Community Distinction.

Also, the local council will hang red banners around the city to promote the award.

St. Joseph is no stranger to the annual award ceremonies.

The Missouri Arts Council named St. Joseph guitarist Anthony Glise artist of the year in 2006. Other former winners from St. Joseph include Beatrice Grimes and David Morton.

Terry Oldham, executive director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph, also sat on the 2008 Missouri Arts Awards committee.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.