The Journal

Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: LifeStyle

Media Credit: Audrey Burke Patrick Murphy, an adjunct professor in the School of Communications, stands in front of the Gateway Arch, the subject of his documentary "Monumental Reflections," March 29.

From architecture and oppression to the Gateway to the West, the significance of the St. Louis Gateway Arch continues to grow.


Patrick Murphy, an adjunct professor in the School of Communications and vice president of production at Channel 9 KETC-TV, wrote and produced "Monumental Reflections," a documentary about the various meanings of the Gateway Arch. The documentary will be distributed nationally on public television stations throughout April.


"It was the 40th anniversary," Murphy said. "After 40 years, I felt like we had moved into a new era, and a fresh perspective on what the Arch means now was needed."


Murphy began work on the film by recording interviews with a variety of individuals, including Jefferson National Memorial workers, architects, artists, the director of the St. Louis Art Museum and the director of the Missouri Historical Society. The interviews helped him create a picture of the Arch's significance, Murphy said.


"When most documentaries are made, you take the information from interviews and blend it with your own ideas of what you think is the truth," Murphy said.


The traditional symbolism assigned to the Arch is the gateway to the West, but for some groups, especially American Indians, it reflects something much different.


Murphy traveled to Oklahoma, where he interviewed the chief of the Osage Nation. Murphy said the proud symbol of Manifest Destiny represented something different to the chief. It reminds him of the cruelty and domination his tribe experienced as European settlers moved West.


"It's a symbol of something very sad to his people," Murphy said. "Though he can appreciate its architecture and beauty, it also serves as a symbol of oppression."


Murphy also spoke with Percy Green, founder of the civil rights organization ACTION. For Green, the Arch became a symbol of empowerment and the Civil Rights Movement, Murphy said.


The Arch has become more than just the gateway to the West; as the symbol of the human imagination, Murphy said. It is estimated the monument will still stand in 1,000 years. The possibility of what may change around the Arch is what he finds fascinating, Murphy said. He also said he expects national and local audiences to benefit from his documentary.

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