Renata Cassiano Alvarez: Passage

Renata Cassiano Alvarez, the 2025 Visiting Artist in Residence at Laumeier Sculpture Park, works predominantly in clay, focusing on process to develop an intimate and collaborative relationship with her chosen material. Influenced by archeology and historical artifacts, the Mexico-born artist finds inspiration in objects’ resilience, permanence and timelessness.

In her upcoming exhibition, Cassiano Alvarez will present a large-scale sculpture titled “Passage,” which consists of four interconnected archways that form an open-air construction. Clad in colorful mosaic tiles – some of which will be made by St. Louis community members – the piece was influenced by the iconic Gateway Arch and its status as the symbol for westward expansion. Interested in how the shape might act as an entry way for local immigrants today, Cassiano Alvarez states that “the work is a symbol, an archway to a new beginning.”