I want to talk some more about peace statues. It is, after all, Memorial Day here in the States, and we're supposed to remember the war dead.
But while trumpets and guns salute those who went down fighting, I want to remember those others- the bystanders, the innocent victims of war. And I want to bring to mind the ultimate goal of war (so they say)- lasting peace.
The more I hunted, the more peace statues I found around the world. They’re creative and different form one another and so many of them (at least after WWII) were built in a way by children.
The most prevalent are the statues inspired by Sadako, the paper-crane folding 12 year old victim of the A bomb in Hiroshima. She, of course, tried to fold 1000 cranes before she died because she heard if she did that her wish would come true.
Seattle had a lovely Sadako holding a crane in a pocket park near the Friends Meeting House. It was donated by a 93 year old peace activist who had won a Peace Prize and wanted to give back to the city. So Sadako stood beautiful and sweet and children covered her with folded cranes of their own. But she was dismembered by vandals in January to the dismay of the public, who instantly offered to pay for her repair. The artist agreed to repair her and the funds the city received were more than enough for the work.
Meanwhile, back in New Mexico, children of Arroyo del Oso school in Albequerque began a project to show what they could contribute to peace. Through the “Dollar a Name” project they soon raised the money for a sculpture. The result was a lovely globe with bronze plants and animals which were originally made from beeswax molds that children in over 100 countries made.
In 1995, the piece was ready and presented to Los Alamos where the A bomb was developed. The town nixed it, though, and it now stands in Santa Fe, waiting for a permanent home. But when it’s covered with cranes on Peace Day, it’s enough to seep into anyone’s heart.
And finally, there’s the inspiring story of Jason Crowe, a peace activist of the old stripe who’s been working for the last few years to raise money for a children’s peace statue to be placed in Bosnia. It’s a pretty piece with five children holding hands to form a bridge. His organization, called “The Cello Plays On” was named after a cellist who played at the site of a breadline bombing in Bosnia in which 22 people were killed. So far, he’s raised about $25K of the $100K needed for it. And on the way he’s picked up plenty of awards and kudos. Not bad for a 14 year old!
(Photo from networkearth.org website)
9:13:43 PM 
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