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St. Louis Character: How Ukrainian refugee Elzara Yusufova built her St. Louis community through art

Elzara Yusufova is a local artist, art teacher and Ukrainian refugee who came to St. Louis in 2022 after leaving Ukraine when the war broke out.

In Crimea, the region in Ukraine where Yusufova grew up, she left behind an art studio and 50 students.

Now, she's building a similar community here in St. Louis — she teaches art at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) in University City, and at the St. Louis Artist’s Guild in Clayton.

Yusufova describes herself as a multidisciplinary artist who specializes in impressionistic and contemporary painting, focusing on plein air painting, or painting outdoors.

She teaches 40 students in the region of all ages through her business Youth Art School — children, teenagers and adults. She has three or four classes a week, teaching in places around St. Louis including the St. Louis Art Museum, the Kemper Art Museum and the St. Louis Botanical Garden.