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Venable Park Artist Concepts

Please take a moment to review each artists’ concept design and share your thoughts.

Your comments will be shared with the Venable Park Commemorative Artwork Jury, who will recommend a selection to City Council. As you review, consider:
  • What is the potential of this concept to inspire contemplation and dialogue about the past and current struggles for justice and civil rights?
  • How well does the concept create a legacy for Dr. Venable in all aspects of his life?
  • What makes the concept visually compelling, engaging and unique?
  • What other strengths or weaknesses do you see in the concept?
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2. The Gift of Sight, Damon Davis
The Gift of Sight is a monument to Dr. Howard P. Venable, his family, and his legacy as a prolific physician, community advocate, and artist. Dr. Venable’s legacy is alive today and deserves a living monument–The Gift of Sight–to honor, venerate, and hold space for the world to know and experience. The monument takes the form of a glass house-like structure (8 x 8 x 15 feet in dimension) standing in Dr. H. Phillip Venable Memorial Park and facing the houses across the street from the park, placing it in conversation with the neighborhood. Davis intends to build a house for a family that was robbed of the chance to do so for themselves, drawing on Dr. Venable’s illustrious career as an ophthalmologist as the main inspiration for glass as the material for the monument. The ceiling and floor are made of polished stainless steel, creating an infinity mirror effect in the vertical volume of the monument as a way of reclaiming space that the Venable family was previously denied. The monument will be fully accessible from both sides, and Davis will work with the Task Force, HDR, and Design for Others to install storytelling signage around the park with possible augmented reality integration to further bring Dr. Venable's story to life. Overall, The Gift of Sight will commemorate the Venable family while inspiring visitors of the park through a visually compelling and unique work of art that speaks to the loss as well as the new possibility of space, place, and community. 
  Please select one of the following images.
4. Home in Sight, Oletha DeVane and Christopher Kojzar
This design for Dr. H. Phillip Venable Memorial Park casts a light on empowerment, healing, and recovery. As a wayfaring site, the artwork tells the story of a man rising above the obstruction of justice, and conceptualizes facets of his life with visual, textual, and architectural elements.A spiral pathway takes visitors on a journey through Dr. Venable’s narrative. Two semi-circular benches contain 12 quotes, where each quote is mounted on a post to honor one of the twelve families who lost their land in Creve Coeur. Each plaque frames Dr. Venable’s words, family members’ quotes, and poetic or factual excerpts alluding to the importance of home within the Black community. The National Building Arts Center would offer architectural remnants of St Louis structures to litter the memorial grounds. The debris alludes to a demolished site as if a building was dismantled and destroyed. The partnership is a method for visitors to learn more about red-lining, blockbusting, covenant houses, and eminent domain. The ophthalmic lens flipper has been multiplied in various sizes to form the center sculpture, letting visitors stand between two structures that hold glass-colored lenses. The ophthalmic sculpture is divided, envisioned as a nod toward segregation, but justifiably meant to inspire awe, celebrate the life of Dr. Venable, and to retain his achievements as a visionary in his field.

  Please select one of the following images.
6. RESOLVE, RE:site Studio
Our commemorative artwork, Resolve, honors Dr. Howard Phillip Venable. As a doctor and professor of ophthalmology, Dr. Venable dedicated his life to helping people see clearly. As a leader, Dr. Venable exemplified resolve in his struggle for fair housing and health equity. Resolve takes the form of a portico made of circular colored and clear glass, a symbol of hospitality and openness. The portico evokes the entryway of Dr. Venable’s unfinished mid-century ranch home, unjustly taken by the city of Creve Coeur.The walls and ceiling are composed of glass circles, resembling trial lens sets used in optical exams. Their colorful arrangement resembles the Ishihara test to diagnose color blindness. Ophthalmology becomes a metaphor for truly seeing people and celebrating racial diversity.The artwork uses a vibrant color scheme reminiscent of mid-century jazz album covers and jazz-inspired art— a nod to Dr. Venable as an accomplished jazz trumpetist. The colored glass spheres transmit color onto the surrounding surfaces like stained glass. Entering the portico, visitors view the world through different colored lenses, evoking perspective-taking in a multi-racial democracy.Visitors encounter interpretation that tells the story of Dr. H. Phillip Venable as a doctor, professor, and civil rights leader. In a spirit of truth and reconciliation, visitors learn about Dr. Venable’s struggle for fair housing and how Creve Coeur named the park in his honor in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. Resolve is a natural extension of our work helping communities honor difficult histories and lift up the voices of people who worked for justice and human dignity. Please select one of the following images.
8. I'm interested in staying informed about the Venable Park Commemorative Artwork project (optional).
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