More than 60 Holocaust survivor portraits — each standing roughly eight feet tall — line the walkways at The District STL in Chesterfield, free and open to anyone who walks by.

The outdoor exhibition, called "Lest We Forget," showcases larger-than-life photographic portraits created by Luigi Toscano, a Germany-based photographer who has captured images of more than 600 survivors since launching the project in 2014. Each portrait is paired with a biography of the person pictured.

The exhibit opened April 16 and runs through May 3 at The District STL, 17057 N. Outer 40 Road. Hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday. No tickets or appointments are needed.

Dee Dee Simon, co-founder of the nonprofit Conversation Builds Character and chair of the Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission, helped bring the installation to Chesterfield. In an interview with West Newsmagazine, she said the outdoor setting is intentional.

"We say that this isn't an exhibition behind museum walls," Simon said. "When the Holocaust survivors were enduring this violence, this event, they all said, 'If you get out alive, make sure you tell others what happened to us.' And I think those of us who have borne witness to this history, we have a responsibility to do that."

"When we talk about a 'Holocaust survivor,' we associate that individual with the cataclysmic event that happened to them. But they were individuals. They're humans just like you and I," Simon said. "They endured this cataclysmic event, and they survived, so it's really about their resilience."

Presenting partners include Bayer, The Staenberg Group — which developed The District STL — and the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation. Companion events across the region include a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performance and a forum at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. The project is also partnering with public schools in Houston, Missouri, and Sedalia, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

The portraits depict not only Jewish survivors but also Roma and Sinti people, individuals with disabilities, gay men, and political dissidents targeted by the Nazi regime — a reminder of the full scope of those who endured persecution.