ST. LOUIS – Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is partnering with Laumeier Sculpture Park to honor and grieve the many lives lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, March 6, Laumeier is hosting an open reception and dedication for its installation of Rose River Memorial, a grassroots, community art movement led by artist Marcos Lutyens that uses hand-crafted roses to reflect each life lost. Laumeier’s installation of the memorial will be located on the outside of the Aronson Fine Arts Center and will reflect on the tens of thousands of lives lost specifically in Missouri. This is the final piece to come on view for Laumeier’s spring exhibition, Salutary Sculpture.
Rose River Memorial was initiated in August 2020 and has since been displayed in cities across the country from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. Girl Scouts across eastern Missouri have worked with Perennial STL and Laumeier Park visitors to create 6,000 roses out of eco felt, a product made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. For Laumeier’s installation, the Park will use the 6,000 roses and another 10,000 roses created in Kansas City by the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri as an approximate representation of the COVID-19 deaths in Missouri.
“It has been an honor for Girl Scouts to contribute to the Rose River Memorial display, in remembrance of the many lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States,” said Bonnie Barczykowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. “As with so many people across our country, our Girl Scouts and their families have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This project enabled our girls to give back to the community in a very meaningful way. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Marcos Lutyens, Rose River Memorial, and Laumeier Sculpture Park on this special display.”
The Rose River Memorial opening reception is scheduled for March 6 from 11 am-1 pm. It will include a dedication ceremony at 11:30 am, featuring:
- A virtual message from artist Marcos Lutyens
- Comments from Salutary Sculpture co-curator Dana Turkovic and Nicole Dalton, Director of Program and Partnerships at Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri
- An interfaith prayer led by Rev. Jim Poinsett, Executive Director at Interfaith Partnership STL
The dedication will be hosted outside in view of the Rose River Memorial, weather permitting. Visitors are also invited to make roses throughout the day. A rose-making station will be located inside the Aronson Fine Arts Center from 11 am-4 pm as well as in the Kranzberg Education Lab from 11 am-1 pm. Laumeier plans to add additional roses to the installation later this spring.
“Rose River Memorial is such an important and timely public artwork, and we are so glad to be involved in exhibiting this project by Marcos and helping to contribute to this commemorative sculpture that has such a universal presence,” said Dana Turkovic, Curator at Laumeier.
The timing of Laumeier’s opening reception coincides with a proposed national COVID-19 Memorial Day. In collaboration with an organization called Marked By COVID, Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ 9th) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives expressing support for the designation of the first Monday in March to be COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day. On Monday, March 7, Marked By COVID will co-host a national COVID Memorial Day Virtual Vigil that will showcase events and programs from across the country, including the Rose River Memorial installation at Laumeier.
Marcos Lutyens is one of eight artists featured in Laumeier’s spring exhibition, Salutary Sculpture, which explores art’s capacity as a therapeutic tool for adaptation, recovery, and rehabilitation. In addition to the Rose River Memorial, Lutyens has work on view inside the gallery. The Whitaker Foundation Gallery will be open from 10 am-4 pm on March 6 and is free for all visitors.
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