Nicholas Galanin's Gateway Arch Installation Confronts American Historical Narratives

A steel obelisk, sliced mid-collapse, commands attention near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Nicholas Galanin, a Tlingit-Unangax̂ artist known for challenging colonial narratives, unveiled Arch: Collapse in October 2023. This 18-foot sculpture counters the American myth of progress, contrasting sharply with the Arch, a symbol of Manifest Destiny.

Galanin’s obelisk, crafted from weathered steel, references industrial expansion and Indigenous endurance. Its fractured form suggests instability, hinting at collapse as both potential and inevitability. Positioned within sight of the Arch, Collapse disrupts the triumphalist narrative of westward expansion embodied by the 630-foot stainless steel monument, completed in 1965.

In an email to ARTDESENT, Galanin described the piece as “a response to the erasure built into structures like the Arch. It’s not just what they commemorate, but what they refuse to acknowledge.” This project builds on his broader practice of interrogating public narratives. His 2021 installation at the Whitney Biennial, Never Forget, transformed the Hollywood sign to spell 'Indian Land,' reclaiming contested memory.

The Gateway Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen and completed 58 years ago, memorializes Thomas Jefferson’s vision of continental expansion. Scholar Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz argues in An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States that such monuments perpetuate a national mythology rooted in Native land dispossession. Galanin’s work visualizes this critique, implicating both the built environment and the stories it supports.

The unveiling coincided with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a strategic decision by the Gateway Arch National Park, which commissioned the work to integrate Indigenous narratives into its programming. Catherine Arredondo, a curator with the National Park Service, stated, “The piece doesn’t just critique; it calls people into a conversation. We want visitors to engage with these complexities, not turn away from them.” This commissioning reflects a shift within the institution, acknowledging earlier interpretive limitations.

While the Arch was built during the cultural optimism of the mid-20th century, Galanin’s sculpture firmly addresses the present, marked by heightened historical reckonings. Its weathered surface is already patinaing, integrating time into the work. “I’m interested in temporality,” Galanin said. “These monuments are often presented as timeless, but nothing we build is outside of history.”

Public reception has been mixed. Local media like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch praised the project for introducing contemporary Indigenous perspectives to the city’s landmark. However, social media reactions included accusations of being “anti-American” or “revisionist.” Such responses illustrate how public art in contentious spaces often becomes a flashpoint for cultural anxieties. Galanin remains unfazed by the controversy, asserting, “Art isn’t meant to make everyone comfortable.”

The work also raises questions of ecological precarity. By evoking collapse, it engages with narratives of political instability, historical erasure, and environmental vulnerability. The fractured obelisk symbolizes the unsustainability of extractive economies, a theme present in Galanin’s earlier works like The Value of Sharpness: When It Falls, which used dulled chainsaws as totemic forms.

Beyond its conceptual depth, the piece invites formal analysis. Constructing the obelisk required advanced metalworking techniques, executed with a Seattle-based industrial design team. The material was laser-cut and welded with precision-engineered joints, creating a precarious tilt. This technical exactitude contrasts sharply with the symbolic instability it represents, highlighting Galanin’s broader practice.

The Gateway Arch National Park estimates over four million visitors annually, underscoring the significance of critical public art in such a prominent location. Whether Collapse shifts perspectives or reinforces divides, it will not be ignored. The piece is on view through October 2024, after which it will enter Galanin’s studio archive unless acquired for a permanent collection.

By centering collapse in the monumental, Galanin compels viewers to confront what remains standing—and for whom.