Campus Celebrates Installation of Berlin Wall Segment 'The Power of Creativity over Concrete'

Auxiliary Art Exhibit Now On View, and DEFA Film Library Streaming 10 Films

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Berlin Wall Ceremony
"The Power of Creativity Over Concrete" by Thierry Noir is now on view outside Herter Hall

The University of Massachusetts Amherst—including the College of Humanities & Fine Arts (HFA) and the DEFA Film Library—celebrated the installation of a 12-foot segment of the Berlin Wall painted by famed French artist Thierry Noir on Tuesday, April 25. The permanent installation can now be seen in a glass case between Memorial Hall and Herter Hall.

Sonja Kreibich, Consul General of Germany to the New England States, was joined by HFA Dean Barbara Krauthamer, UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and other campus officials for the event, which is the highlight of a week of art exhibitions and film screenings related to the history, impact and legacy of the structure that divided Germany’s capital for three decades.

Art Exhibit on The Berlin Wall Debuts

From April 24-28, “The Berlin Wall: Borders and Barriers in the Past and Present” will exhibit art submitted by undergraduate students from the Five Colleges in the lobby of the Bromery Center for the Arts. 

DEFA Film Library Streams 10 Films

To celebrate the installation of a segment of the Berlin Wall with the painting “The Power of Creativity Over Concrete,” by acclaimed French artist Thierry Noir, the DEFA Film Library invites the campus community to stream 10 handpicked Wall films from their collection through the end of April.

The selection of feature films and documentaries tell moving stories that showcase the importance of the Berlin Wall throughout its history, from when it was built in 1961 to life under its shadow to the peaceful revolution that brought the Wall down in 1989.

The films available for streaming include:

“We are an important partner of the UMass Chancellor’s Office in organizing the events in celebration of receiving the segment of the Berlin Wall,” says Mariana Ivanova, academic director of the DEFA Film Library. “We are honored to welcome on our campus a reminder of a past so closely connected to the history of DEFA films. This year, the DEFA Film Library celebrates its 30th anniversary and is delighted to offer to our campus community 10 films, which were produced by the DEFA Studios, once called ‘Hollywood behind the Wall.’”

The films can be streamed at http://kanopy.com/en/umass by using UMass campus login credentials.

More information about the films and the DEFA Film Library can be found at https://umass.edu/defa.

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