What is my place? What is my privilege? What is my impact?
These questions have guided an exploration of St. Louis throughout my time at WashU. This body of work is a reflection on the vast distance—physical and metaphorical—that can often be felt between campus life and St. Louis and how it can be difficult to escape the “WashU Bubble” and engage with the city in a meaningful way. The project has blossomed from more than a year of archival and explorative research on the history of the St. Louis and an a careful analysis of the many positions of power that have drastically abused their relationship with the city. It acknowledges how these positions of power may discourage (intentionally or not) student engagement with the city in which they reside, and empathizes with the students who may feel constrained by this barrier.
Ultimately, the goal of “A Step Between” is to call attention to this often overlooked and underestimated distance between WashU and St. Louis and hopefully highlight some tangible ways to foster meaningful student engagement. It also seeks to acknowledge the strides that the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement has taken towards collapsing this distance.
the caption refers to the distance and time it takes
to walk between the two locations collaged within the photo.
Large format vinyl prints will be on display on WashU's campus in these locations from 12/4 to 12/9:
2.8 miles - Bears Den, South 40 | 3.1 miles - McKelvey School of Engineering | 4.6 miles - Weil Hall
On 12/9, all three large format prints will be hung in the Bears Den for the remainder of the winter.
Smaller format paper prints will be on display in these locations and dates:
“In a Similar Vein”, Northeast stairwell of Weil Hall, 12/1 to 12/8
“Art as Connection”, Washu Medical Campus, February 2024