ST. LOUIS, MO.- Laumeier Sculpture Park announced the newly commissioned sculpture Passage, 2025 by Visiting Artist in Residence Renata Cassiano Alvarez. The outdoor sculpture, to be located in Laumeier’s Way Field, will consist of four 8-foot interconnected archways adorned with almost 500 colorful mosaic tiles. From April – June 2025, Cassiano Alvarez and Laumeier education staff facilitated a series of tile painting workshops to complete the tiles that will clad the sculpture’s exterior. Laumeier sought organizations to host the tile painting workshops from across St. Louis City and County. Partners who hosted workshops include 21C Museum Hotel, International Institute of Metro St. Louis, Kranzberg Arts Foundation and Webster University. At these sessions, the artist prompted participants to think of a “passage” in their life. Each 4 x 4-inch tile reflects the painter’s unique take on transitional moments, personal growth, transformation, or change. Laumeier and the artist sought out and encouraged participation from members of St. Louis’s immigrant communities.
Inspired by the Gateway Arch and its status as the symbol for westward expansion, Passage is intended to be a monument to the value of opportunity and the history of St. Louis as an artery to a new frontier. The arch is a consistent motif in Cassiano Alvarez’s usually colorful and multi-layered ceramic work. She is interested in how this shape might act as an entry way for local immigrant communities, stating "I would like for people to get an experience where they reflect on their lives in St. Louis, what the city means to them and for them to see themselves represented in the park. The sculpture is meant to be both a passage and a place for imagination. And a place of hope for the future."
Born in Mexico to Mexican and Italian parents, Cassiano Alvarez has had the opportunity to work in different artistic environments, a cross-cultural and multimedia experience which has led to the belief that craft is an evolving field and something that exists in motion. Her practice has also extended to the interpreting field, where she functions as a bridge for non-English speakers.
Working predominantly in the medium of clay, Cassiano Alvarez creates colorful ceramic sculpture that blends architectural forms with playful expression. The child of two archaeologists, she is influenced by historical artifacts and the hidden meaning they hold. Archaeology and memory are central to her practice, and she views her work as a space to decipher remnants of past moments and actions with the material. She is inspired by the art objects’ resilience, permanence and timelessness, stating: “I use the ceramic processes to explore the fluidity and contradictions in our perception of ourselves, others and the world around us and view the medium as a space for play.”
Laumeier’s Curator Dana Turkovic adds “We are so excited to see how Renata’s collaborative project has resulted in a sculpture with so many personal symbols and stories, that represent the people in our community and the moments that made an impact on their lives. This project provided a unique opportunity for our community to work directly with the artist, express their individual creativity, and contribute to a large-scale commission. Her socially engaged artwork is both sculpture and a monument to the people who live and work here.”
Renata Cassiano Alvarez is a Mexican Italian artist and interpreter born in Mexico City. She received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and her BFA from the Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México. Her work can be found in public and private collections in Mexico, Estonia, Italy, Taiwan, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, China, USA and Slovenia. Her exhibitions include Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR; Lucy Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA; Casa de Cultura, Coatepec, México; Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa, México; Centre Culturel d’Andenne, Andenne, Belgium Gallery Stalden, Bisserup, Denmark; New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan; Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Minneapolis among many others. She was the recipient of a 2024 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation award. She works between her studio in Veracruz, Mexico and Springdale, Arkansas.
The Visiting Artist In Residence program creates an opportunity for accomplished artists from outside the region to conduct research, meet St. Louis community members, and explore issues of importance to this region. During the year of residency, the chosen artist engages in the community through lectures, group discussion, art activities, and/or volunteer work. It culminates in an exhibition or special project that is shaped or conceived by this research and time spent in the community.
Visiting Artists In Residence are foreign-born artists based in the United States. This commitment allows Laumeier to present a globally inflected program and highlight the many cultural contributions of immigrant artists.
