ST. LOUIS — Firefighters with the St. Louis Fire Department were seen placing face coverings on statues across the city this week.
It was part of a project from the St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce called “MaskUpSTL.” The organization teamed up with several businesses and other organizations to install custom-made masks on statues and sculptures throughout the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
The project was designed to encourage mask wearing as a way to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, the St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce said on its website. Many of the “very visible and visited pieces of public art” around the area will don a St. Louis-themed mask throughout the fall season.
Local artists and volunteers created the custom masks that are individually designed to fit each statue and sculpture. The organization worked with local suppliers to help obtain low-cost supplies for making the masks and applied for grant funding in hopes of being able to compensate the artists.
St. Louis firefighters put face coverings on city statues
Some of the participating locations include:
- Citygarden and other city-wide public art pieces maintained by the Gateway Foundation
- Carl Milles’ “Meeting of the Waters” and Henry Kiener’s “Olympic Runner”
- Sculptures throughout the campus of Washington University and St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- The Stan Musial statue and other figures throughout Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village
- The “Jelly Baby” display at St. Louis Public Library Central
- Pieces installed throughout the Delmar Loop
Click here for more information on the project.
