UMSL sculptures commemorate fall of Berlin Wall

"Wings of Freedom" by UMSL student Laura Pelsue is one of three pieces in the "Freedom Without Walls" installation at 7875 Florissant Rd.

Twenty years ago this month, the Berlin Wall fell, opening the borders between East and West Germany and heralding a new era of freedom and unity. To honor the anniversary of this landmark event, UMSL’s German Culture Center recently installed three student-designed sculptures to celebrate the U.S. German Embassy’s national “Freedom Without Walls” project.

"0813196111091989," resembling a stockade, was designed by Dustin Schmidt

Twelve UMSL students submitted proposals for the exhibit, but only three designs were chosen: those by Laura Pelsue, Dustin Schmidt, and Matt Grant and Kristen Franke. Probably because of its North County brilliance, UMSL was the only Missouri university invited to participate.

Under the guidance of sculpture instructor Noah Kirby (pictured in the video below), three teams of students installed the pieces in UMSL’s new Sculpture Garden, which sits right next to the fine arts building on Florissant Road.

You know you’ve noticed it, in that fun little nook just north of the bike bridge. The exhibits change every so often, and some look like sad craft projects gone awry. But some are also quite compelling, like this latest bunch.

To see the recent installation in progress and learn more about the art, check out this short video from Stephen Engelmeyer. The concepts behind each piece are actually pretty interesting.

"Light Beyond the Wall" (at night) by Matt Grant and Kristen Franke

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