ST. LOUIS — The red bricks of Ritz Park along South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis glowed blue and yellow this weekend as part of an art project to support the people of Ukraine.
"The images are plain and simple. We stand behind Ukraine," artist Raven Fox said.
An immersive visual artist, Fox said he was moved to create the images supporting Ukraine after he read an email from a friend and fellow artist, Val Syganevich, whose company Freckled Sky has an office in Kyiv.
The letter reads, in part: "Instead of doing our extraordinary shows, we are now sitting in bomb shelters under air raid sirens. Instead of doing special effects, they are seeing and hearing the airstrikes destroying their cities. They are taking up arms and going to the self-defense units to protect their children. We need actions, not emotions."
"I was moved by this," Fox said, calling the message "heartbreaking."
"This was a perfect spot and the perfect time to do something like this," Rachel Witt, Executive Director of South Grand Community Improvement District, said.
Witt said Fox's art installation made sense along this street of St. Louis.
"He reached out to me and said we needed to do something about Ukraine and I totally agreed with him," she said, explaining "South Grand is sort of a beacon to the immigrant community. We have over 22 immigrant-owned businesses, representing 14 countries."
Witt says the response on social media was immediate.
Fox says he's currently fielding questions from people around town asking him to bring his art to other corners of St. Louis.