Art Installation Connects a Henrico County High School to Germany

Relations between the United States and Germany may sometimes seem strained at the federal level. However, a group of 28 exchange students from western Germany joined scores of their American counterparts in Henrico County this week to build a bridge, of sorts, between their respective high schools.

The students unveiled an art project on the campus of Mills E. Godwin High School in Henrico County, just days before the German visitors are to return to their homeland. The art is a companion piece to one that many of the same students built over the summer at a school in Homburg, Germany.

The sculpture in Virginia is made up of interlocking wooden pieces anchored to the ground. Students used power tools to install it, which an American art teacher who contributed to the project said made her nervous. But nobody was injured in the course of the installation. On the wooden slats, students wrote messages of hope, such as “a little kindness goes a long way” and “believe in yourself” in English and German.

“The work you’ve done and the words that you have put on these remarkable art pieces are more than just words, and they need to be carried forward,” John Vithoulkas, the Henrico County manager, said at a ceremony to unveil the project.

German sculptor Martin Steinert planned both sculptures. The German installation “shows a wave movement to symbolize the Atlantic Ocean, separating our two schools and our countries,” he said. That first sculpture was finished in June, when Virginia students were visiting Germany. “Its counterpart installation here represents five sails—the sails of a ship capable of crossing that ocean, embodying the hope that many students will continue to make that journey in both directions for years to come.”

Steinert said he was impressed by the way the students collaborated on the project. “The young people worked together, interacted, and supported one another,” he said. “I was deeply impressed and it instilled a sense of optimism in me.”

German teacher Steffan Leonhardt noted that the exchange helps unite the countries at the human level, even when geopolitics may seem unsettled. “It doesn’t matter who is sitting in the White House or the Chancellery in Berlin, it’s the people here who make it happen,” he told a group at the ceremony.

Students from both countries praised the collaboration. “I think this project is really cool, and it definitely shows the cooperation between the two nations,” Shilah Glasneck, a Godwin student, said. “I’ve learned a lot more of the language and a lot more about the culture” of Germany.

“I learned a lot about America,” Xenia Martel said. “We had a lot of fun working on it. We learned a lot about American culture and American schools.”

The exchange program is run by the German American Partnership Program, supported by the Goethe-Institut. It is marking its 30th anniversary this year, although there have been several years when students did not travel because of COVID. This year, 10 Godwin students went to Homburg in June, and 8 German students made the return trip this month.  

Both art projects are fragile and are outdoors, so neither is intended to be permanent.

“It is exposed to the elements, and probably in a few years the school managers will say we have to get rid of it, because it has become unstable,” Leonhardt said. “But we hope that in years to come these exchanges will still be happening.”

Meanwhile, Principal Leigh Dunavant said the high school itself may be renovated in or around  2030. The art would probably need to be moved or taken down before that can begin.

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