Emma Vonder Haar is St. Louis-based live event artist creating personalized experiences that guests rave about.
Trusted by
St. Louis live personalization services for brand activations and corporate events
(sort of like a caricature artist, but for names)
On-Site Calligraphy
With live calligraphy, items are personalized through traditional pointed pen calligraphy, oil markers, or paint pens. Versatile, compact, and perfect for (almost) any surface.
Live Hand Engraving
Live engraving, by hand, with a portable drill that etches directly into the surface. Works beautifully on materials like glass and metal for a permanent personalization.
Hot Foiling
Items are personalized with a heat tool, operated by hand, to press either a heat activated foil or a blind impression into items like leather and vegan leather.
In Their Words (because event planners absolutely rave about live calligraphy too)
“Our guests greatly enjoyed witnessing a traditional, timeless form of penmanship, which aligned perfectly with the theme of our event. Plus, they got a fun and beautiful takeaway from Emma to remember our event. Emma is a true professional and an all-around lovely human. We're hoping to welcome her back to another event soon!”
Leah Freeman, Nine PBS
“Emma was an incredible vendor and partner to work with. She was consistently responsive, reliable, and a clear communicator throughout. She supported us across multiple phases of the project and was exceptionally easy to collaborate with at every stage, from pre-event planning to live event support and post-event wrap-up. The project truly wouldn’t have been as successful without her.”
Sylvie Harper, Salt XC
Meet Emma
I’m a St. Louis based live event artist with a professional background in experiential marketing and graphic design. Since 2017, I’ve worked with event planners, retail teams, and agencies to add the perfect touch of calligraphy to their event. My focus is not just on the beauty of the item, but on how adding live calligraphy drives sales, generates leads, and contributes to a successful guest event.
As an artist, I’m deeply invested in both the way that calligraphy looks and the way that a personalized item makes guests feel. Calligraphy is truly a lost art, and there’s a bit of magic in seeing your name written live in front of you by a skilled calligrapher. I love nothing more than crafting letters in front of guests and pausing time for a moment of pure delight.
But, as a marketer and former event planner, I know that delightful moment is lost if everything surrounding it is chaos. I know what it takes to run an event smoothly. I've intentionally built a nimble operation: quick load-in, minimal setup, and a tiny footprint with a big impact. With over a decade of experience, I work quickly, manage a queue gracefully, and keep the focus exactly where it belongs: on your guests. I keep a detailed log of both personalization data and anecdotes from guests to assist event planners in measuring the impact of adding a live calligrapher to their event.
If this sounds like something your next event needs but you’re not sure where to start, I’m a sucker for a good brainstorm call. If you have an out-of-the-box idea (or just the beginning of one!), I want to hear it. I like to tell clients I can write on just about anything that's not moving, and some of my favorite events have started with a "what if we tried..." conversation. I'd love to hear yours!
