Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
“You don’t have to be artistic to have a voice,” said senior Bachelor’s of Fine Arts student Eric Frey. Frey has a recent art installation that is a part of his thesis on discrimination and bias. His art piece is symbolic of any border wall: the Korean DMZ, the Berlin wall, the proposed U.S/Mexico wall.
“Right now we’ve got that ballot measure (Measure 105) talking about taking away sanctuary cities. And (building the wall) has been a hot-button issue since the 2016 election. So I thought this would be a good opportunity for free speech here on campus,” commented Frey. “For me, I’m not making a statement either way, pro-wall or anti-wall.”
Frey acknowledges that there is a large variety of students on campus, including those with conservative ideologies and those included under the DREAM act. This art piece was meant to start a dialogue about border security and border walls.
This piece is constructed with a 2×4 frame and cement and burlap banners. The top is adorned with faux barbed wire, handmade out of hemp twine. Students and community members are encouraged to interact with the installation with paint, stencils, or even a baseball bat. The only thing Frey asks is not used is biological waste, human or animal. This installation piece is completely funded by the artist, so it is important that participants take care not to damage the frame itself.
Eric Frey retired from the Army in 2016, and came to Western considering a business major: “I got pulled into the art program, and ever since then it’s just been that I’ve found my creative side.” The soon-to-be graduate has been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Israel.
Being a combat veteran, Frey believes that he has an unique perspective to bring to the art community.
“I’ve seen some of the worst in humanity, and the best in humanity. So those experiences definitely shape my art,” said Frey.
The wall will be up until Dec. 1, and Frey intends to show the pieces in local galleries for the rest of the school year once it’s taken down.
“As long as it’s on display it’s a living, breathing conversation,” Frey remarked.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton
