Approximately one year ago, students Sarah Bricke and Kimberly Lopez started planning their vision in re-dedicating CSUSM’s White Rose memorial.

Originally designed in 2003 by Cynthia Joseph in a class taught by Dr. Andrea Liss, the White Rose memorial is dedicated to a group of students who were executed and arrested for non-violently resisting the German Third Reich from 1942 to 1943.

Joseph’s design includes a metal “vase” meant to resemble a barbed wire fence, a metal watering drum with an attached ladle and white roses. In an interview, she said, “I invite people to water the plant, to add life.” The interactive installation stood on campus for students and staff alike to “add life” to the roses before it began to decay and rust.

In spring of 2018, Bricke and Lopez were chosen by Dr. Liss to help in the restoration of it.

The two student artist considered and sketched a few re-design options for the memorial but eventually decided to maintain the current design. “We wanted to stick to the artist’s original vision and honor that legacy from her as well as the legacy of the students. We sort of felt like it didn’t need to be improved on or altered in any way, it just needed to be restored,” said Bricke.

According to CSUSM’s News Center, the new elements of the memorial were installed ahead of the ceremony, on April 26. The new elements included a bronze plaque, a galvanized steel watering drum and a steel encasement surrounding the flowers. The updated pieces should significantly delay how quickly the memorial rusts and extend its life on this campus.

When asked why they found the piece so important when taking into consideration the events that recently took place at a synagogue in Poway, Bricke said, “It’s not just a static memorial. In fact, we are still dealing with these same issues that those students faced. The fact that the memorial is on our campus gives us as students, a way to think and be reminded every day that not only do we still need to confront these same issues. The same bigotry, same antisemitism, racism [and] all of these problems have not gone away.”

Lopez said, “For me, it also kind of stresses the importance of the arts. It’s not just something you see on the wall or just to help you remember something, but it’s also something to bring people together.”

To coincide with the newly renovated memorial, Bricke and Lopez also curated an exhibit inside the arts building lobby that “examine[s] the history of the White Rose memorial on the campus of California State University, San Marcos.”

The exhibit showcases photos and short statements about the memorial throughout the years; from early conception to its recent refurbishment.

The two students were congratulated and thanked for their contribution by several of those in attendance, to which Bricke said, “It was hard [work], but it was a pleasure.”

The White Rose memorial stands just to the right of the arts building, across from the USU. All are welcome to stop, water the roses and reflect. The exhibit inside the arts building lobby will only be presented for a short time, so take advantage of the experience before it’s gone.