For decades, sections of the U.S.–Mexico border wall have symbolised separation, conflict, and division. As portions of the original wall were removed and replaced, Friends of International Friendship Park saw an opportunity to ask a different question: What if these materials could tell a new story?
Rather than allowing pieces of the original wall to disappear, Friends of International Friendship Park partnered with the Museum of Us and community leaders to preserve them as cultural and historical artifacts. The result is the Border Wall Transformation Project—an ambitious initiative that reimagines the wall not as a barrier, but as a catalyst for education, public art, dialogue, and community connection.
Preserving History
In 2025, Museum of Us worked with federal contractors to secure 21 sections of the original border wall, each measuring approximately 18 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and weighing more than 5,000 pounds. Instead of being discarded, these panels were carefully preserved for future community-centered projects that would help tell the story of Friendship Park and the U.S.–Mexico border in new and meaningful ways.
Preserving the wall was about more than saving pieces of steel. It was about recognizing that these structures hold decades of history, emotion, and lived experience. They have witnessed family reunions, acts of protest, artistic expression, and profound moments of connection. By preserving them, the project ensures these stories are not lost.
Guided by the Community
From the very beginning, the Border Wall Transformation Project has been shaped by the people who know Friendship Park best.
Over an 18-month period, Friends of International Friendship Park convened a Community Advisory Council made up of artists, educators, historians, community leaders, and cultural partners. Their role was not simply to advise on what should happen to the wall panels, but to help imagine how they could serve communities for generations to come.
This collaborative approach reflects one of the organization’s core values: the future of Friendship Park should be shaped by the communities connected to it.
Rather than treating the wall as an artifact to be stored away, the advisory council envisioned ways it could become a tool for education, healing, creativity, and dialogue.
Turning Barriers Into Places of Gathering
One of the first projects to emerge from this vision is the Table of Amistad, created by artist Michael Leaf.
Using one preserved section of the border wall, the artwork transforms a physical barrier into a welcoming gathering place where people can sit together, share meals, hold conversations, and build relationships. It is a simple yet powerful transformation that demonstrates the central idea behind the Border Wall Transformation Project: objects associated with separation can be reimagined as spaces that bring people together.
The Table of Amistad is only the beginning.
Plans for the project include creating seven to ten additional community-designed gathering tables through a public Request for Proposals (RFP) process. These installations will be placed throughout the United States, Mexico, and Kumeyaay lands, creating a network of spaces where people can gather to learn, reflect, and connect.
Expanding the Story
The preserved wall panels will also become part of a larger educational initiative.
A future exhibition at Museum of Us will use several panels as the centerpiece of an immersive exhibit exploring themes such as home, identity, wellness, and justice. Rather than focusing solely on the history of the wall itself, the exhibition will invite visitors to consider the people, cultures, and communities that have shaped the border region for generations.
Additional plans include gifting wall sections to Indigenous communities, Border Field State Park, and other community partners, ensuring these historic materials continue serving as places of education and remembrance.
Creative reuse projects will also transform smaller pieces of the wall into works of art and objects of healing, while a growing digital and physical archive will preserve the history of Friendship Park and the border region for future generations.
Looking Toward the Future
The Border Wall Transformation Project is about more than preserving steel panels. It is about preserving stories, honoring communities, and creating new opportunities for connection.
By transforming symbols of division into places for art, education, and gathering, Friends of International Friendship Park and its partners are demonstrating that history does not have to remain fixed. It can be reinterpreted, shared, and used to inspire new conversations about our collective future.
As this work continues, each transformed wall panel will serve as a reminder that even the most difficult chapters of history can become foundations for learning, healing, and hope. Through collaboration, creativity, and community leadership, the Border Wall Transformation Project is helping ensure that the legacy of Friendship Park continues to inspire people on both sides of the border—and far beyond.