A century ago, a promise was made: to remember those who served, and to carry their stories forward. This fall, that promise takes an artistic form. As the National WWI Museum and Memorial marks its 100th anniversary alongside the nation's 250th, the Memorial itself will become the canvas, transformed into a painting of light, sound and motion for a brand-new installation called Liberty's Beacon.
For seven weekends this fall, the Museum and Memorial's North Wall and Great Frieze, as well as the Liberty Memorial Tower, will glow with eight- to 10-minute projection mapping experiences unlike anything ever staged on the grounds. Three internationally acclaimed light artists have been commissioned to take the Museum and Memorial's limestone and turn it into a living surface, drawing out the virtues carved into its architecture: Honor, Courage, Sacrifice and Patriotism.
“A century ago, the founders of this Memorial built it on values meant to outlast their own time, along with a hope that future generations would know peace,” said Matt Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. “As our nation marks 250 years, Phare de la Liberté is our way of honoring the last hundred years of this Memorial and imagining what the next century will ask of each of us.”
Phare de la Liberté debuts Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 27, and returns every weekend after that, building to an extended run through Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11. The experience is FREE and open to the public, no tickets required. Each night, the eight- to 10-minute show begins at 7:30 p.m. and repeats every 15 minutes (on the :00, :15, :30 and :45) until the final showing at 10:30 p.m. Guests are invited to spread a blanket or set up a picnic on the North Lawn and return throughout the season, since every artist's interpretation offers something new to see, hear and feel. Access details and FAQs are available at libertysbeacon.org.
The artists’ lineup features Xavier de Richemont, a French video painter who spent a decade as artistic director of the Festival of Lights in Chartres and has illuminated cathedrals and landmarks from Mexico to India; Leslie Epsztein et Camille Gross, the Paris-based projection designers behind large-scale light works across Lyon, London and Avignon; and Laboratoire d'oignons, the Barcelona studio whose projection mapping has appeared everywhere from the Museo del Prado's bicentennial to the Spanish Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020. Each artist brings a distinct visual language to the Memorial, paired with an original score composed to match.
Phare de la Liberté is a project of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, guided by a board-appointed committee whose members bring decades of experience in arts, museum leadership and public history to ensure the installation honors the Memorial's mission while giving each artist creative freedom to interpret it in their own voice.
Liberty’s Beacon is supported by Premier Sponsors Kemper Family Foundations, Capitol Federal Foundation, Kornitzer Capital Management, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The Hackman Family. A full list of supporters can be found at libertysbeacon.org.