Photography by Michael Thomas
How would you map St. Louis’ monuments? You’d probably include the Gateway Arch. But what about the Old Courthouse, where Dred Scott sued for his freedom? Or maybe you’re a fan of nostalgia and would plot the neon Anheuser-Busch eagle that flaps over Highway 40?
More than 700 St. Louisans from 149 ZIP codes considered this question as part of Public Iconographies, a research residency at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Together with Monument Lab—a Philadelphia-based organization—a small local research team set out to better understand the relationship between St. Louisans and the landmarks and monuments that symbolize our city. The project is meant to “critically explore, represent, and update the iconography of the city,” specifically looking at the role that monuments play when they become sites of protests and critical action. It also studies areas of equity and exclusion. The researchers attended 46 events throughout the St. Louis region and asked people to hand-draw maps of monuments in St. Louis. All told, the project took two years and mapped 1,044 places.
Two faculty members from the Sociology and African and African-American Studies departments at Washington University and a group of stakeholders analyzed the findings. They are now being used to facilitate larger conversations. Respondents included the Arch most often in their maps, followed by the Mississippi River and Forest Park. Fourteen maps featured Pruitt-Igoe, the housing project that no longer exists.
When planning the project, the museum couldn’t have anticipated how timely it would be. In June, Tower Grove Park’s Board of Commissioners removed the statue of Christopher Columbus that had been contested for years. And throughout the summer, protesters have been demonstrating next to the Apotheosis of St. Louis, on Art Hill. “It’s been interesting to reflect on how much the context of this project has changed because of the shifting nature of our world,” says Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, the Pulitzer’s director of public engagement. “I’m really interested to see how the work around monuments and memory will become integral to how power is represented in public spaces.”
Study Buddies
Meet the researchers behind “Public Iconographies.”
Liz Deichmann
Deichmann, who’s pursuing a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, is an alumna of the Community Arts Training Institute. Offered through the Regional Arts Commission, the program is centered on the idea that art can be an agent for positive social change. Deichmann is also the co-founder of the nonprofit Midwest Artist Project Services.
Derek Laney
A local activist and organizer with a background in social services, Laney has organized on the national level for the Fed Up Campaign, which was aimed at reforming the federal banking system. He’s perhaps best known for his work organizing during the Ferguson demonstrations of 2014. Laney now serves on the steering committee of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression and as a board member of CivTech St. Louis.
MK Stallings
A poet, educator, and community arts administrator, Stallings founded Urban Artist Alliance for Child Development in 2001 to give children a platform in the arts. Through his work at UrbArts, Stallings provides opportunities for kids to get involved in poetics and music, visual, and movement arts.
