In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, 16 local artists from the San Diego and Los Angeles areas took on the challenge of incorporating pieces of the historic wall into their artwork. All pieces in the exhibit are traveling to destinations still unknown with the hope of making it across the Atlantic to the city of Berlin itself.

Pieces of the wall that previously divided the East from the West in Berlin, Germany, were acquired in an indirect way, but always meant to be incorporated into an artistic outlet.

“A gentleman who was from Germany originally, who was living in Carlsbad at the time, had commissioned to get a number of large bins of Berlin Wall pieces from Germany,” assistant director of Front Porch Gallery and artist Julie Weaverling said. “When he did this, he had the intention of doing something with them himself, but he did not have the chance to before he passed away. The pieces of the wall eventually made their way to a woman who was interested in the arts and history of the time. It was her who had the idea to get a number of artists together to try and show the pieces in various settings and through various perspectives. ”

Although these sixteen pieces have much of the world to see in their future, they are up for sale at each venue. The price ranges from about $1,100 to $60,000 and come in various sizes and mediums.

“Anything that does sell stays with the exhibit until it is completely finished,” Weaverling said. “So the buyers need to not be too attached to their purchases, but then the art will have such a great providence when it finally gets home on the wall.”

As the exhibit travels, every onlooker will have the opportunity to see into the thoughts, family history and personal views of the Southern Californian artists through a statement posted beside his or her work.

“To me, having the statements from the artists was extremely important,” Weaverling said. “It is not only important because it is neat to read, but it is important because some of the pieces can stand fairly well on their own, but for some the explanation really enhances the work.”

One artist, Amber Irvin (among the sixteen) gives her views of the time and inspiration for her piece entitled “Borderless.”

“If every person had knowledge and awareness of who they truly were, there would be no need for walls and borders to divide this world,” artist Amber Irvin said. “We would embrace and celebrate cultural differences, we would live peacefully and supportive of each other. We can create that world and it is my inspiration for the transformation of the Berlin Wall pieces. Let the Berlin Wall be an example to the walls that exist today, let them tumble.”