According to FOX 2, a north St. Louis man was inside his three-story home with his small dog when the May 16, 2025, tornado struck, twisting and shaking the structure until it collapsed around him. He regained consciousness buried in rubble, dug himself and his dog out, and both survived with relatively minor injuries. That harrowing escape is one of the stories photographer Richard Sprengeler will share Friday at an artist meet-and-greet tied to his tornado photography.
The tornado devastated neighborhoods across north St. Louis, killing five people, destroying homes, and displacing countless families, according to FOX 2. The survivor had gotten a phone warning about the danger and immediately grabbed his dog, trying to reach the basement before the house gave way. Sprengeler has said the man must have had a guardian angel.
A Photographer Drawn Into the Wreckage
Sprengeler, described as a renowned photographer, began documenting the tornado aftermath about a week after the storm hit, by his own account. He traveled into north St. Louis and, as the station's report notes, said he was astounded by the scale of devastation he encountered there.
Over the following months, Sprengeler walked the streets, listening to residents describe survival, loss, and perseverance. He has said the experience changed his perceptions of the area entirely. “What I did experience was nothing but kind, beautiful people. That was a life-changing experience for me,” he said, per the same account. He added that he hopes the photographs move viewers “to decide what they can do to help.”
Exhibition Blends Photography, Painting and Sculpture
Sprengeler's tornado images are part of Structural Illuminations, an exhibition that also includes work by photographer Christina Shmigel and sculptor Gary Passanise, as reported by FOX 2. The show combines photography, painting, and sculpture to explore what organizers describe as the physical, historical, cultural, and conceptual foundations shaping understanding.
This is not the first time Sprengeler's tornado work has been exhibited. He previously returned to his alma mater, Southwestern Illinois College, with a collection titled The Tornado of 2025, described by The Schmidt Art Center as documenting both devastation and resilience in the storm's aftermath. That show was scheduled to run Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Schmidt Art Center in Belleville, Illinois. His tornado photography has also been featured by the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum under the same title.
Friday's Free Event at Link Auditorium
The artist meet-and-greet takes place Friday, November 13, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Link Auditorium, 4504 Westminster Place in St. Louis, with free admission, according to The Link Auditorium. Sprengeler will meet visitors and discuss his photographic documentation of the tornado in north St. Louis.
Event listings differ on the exact start time of Sprengeler's talk. FOX 2 reports the artist talk begins at 5:30 p.m., while The Link Auditorium's own listing states Sprengeler will speak at 5 p.m. about Bob Cassilly's Cementland along with his tornado photography experience. Attendees hoping to catch the full discussion may want to arrive by 5 p.m. Sprengeler's tornado photography can be viewed at the event and at his website, richardsprengeler.com.
