Peace Monuments Related to Children,
Motherhood, Sadako Sasaki & Peace Cranes
Click here for Wikipedia article on Sadako Sasaki [1943-1955].
Click here for Wikipedia article entitled "Thousand origami cranes."
Click here for website of the World Peace Project for Children (sadako.org).Right click image to enlarge.
Date? - Poster (France). l'Emprunt de la Paix / the Peace Bond. Filled with symbols of peace and prosperity, including a breast feeding mother and many belching smokestacks.
July 30, 1929 - Statue of Romulus & Remus, City Hall, Rome, Georgia (USA). "On a base of white marble from Tate, Georgia, with a brass plaque inscribed: 'This statue of the Capitoline Wolf, as a forecast of prosperity and glory, has been sent from Ancient Rome to New Rome during the consulship of Benito Mussolini in the year 1929." In 1940, anti-Italian sentiment due to World War II became so strong that the Rome city commission moved the statue into storage to prevent vandalism and replaced it with an American flag. In 1952, the statue was restored to its former location in front of City Hall.'" Info courtesy of George & Renae Stone.
July 1, 1947 - "Peace on Earth" Statue, American Garden, International Peace Gardens, Jordan Park, Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). "This statue in the Peace Garden is symbolic of the hope that we can leave a more peaceful future to our children." Garden (qv) was initiated in 1940 by by Mrs. O. A. Wiesley of the Salt Lake Council of Women and developed by local ethnic & national groups 1948-1989. Front inscription says, "Our hope for the children." Side inscriptons say, "Peace on Earth" & "The dawn of a new era."
May 10, 1949 - Monumento a la Madre / Monument to the Mother, Parque Sullivan, Mexico City (Mexico). "A campaign by the Excelsior newspaper in the 1920's led to the creation of [the] widely celebrated Mexican holiday Dia de las madres / Mothers’ Day (May 10). The newspaper raised the money for the monumento. This is a very Mexican mamí -- she is wearing a rebozo, and her features are decidedly indigenous.
May 5, 1958 - Children's Peace Monument, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima (Japan). The monument is topped by a statue of Sadako Sasaki. Dedicated on Children's Day. Encircled by cases in which to hang origami peace cranes. #16 of 56 "cenotaphs & monuments" on the Virtual E-Tour..
May 3, 1960 - Anne Frank House Museum, Amsterdam (Netherlands). Hiding place of Anne Frank [1929-1945] and her family during World War II. Museum expanded in 1999.
May 9, 1971 - Pomnik Martyrologii Dzieci / Monument of Children's Martyrdom, Park Szarych Szeregow / Gray Ranks, Marysinska, Lodz (Poland). Also called Broken Heart Monument. Dedicated on the 26th anniversary of Poland's victory over Germany. Commemorates the martyrdom of thousands of child prisoners who died here in a German concentration camp (Ghetto Litzmannstadt) during WW-II. Designed by Jadwiga Janus. Inscriptions: "Your life was taken, today we give You only memory" and "May it pass on to future generations our common cry: no more war, no more camps."
1974 - Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, Lincoln Park, East Capitol & 12th Streets, Washington, DC (USA). Sculpted by Robert Berks (who also did DC statues of JFK and Einstein). Mary McLeod Bethune [1875-1955] was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for black students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to FDR. Also see Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site (National Park Service).
January 1, 1979 - International Year of the Child (IYC). UNESCO proclamation signed January 1, 1979, by UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. Follow-up to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child intended to draw attention to problems that affected children throughout the world, including malnutrition & lack of access to education. Many of these efforts resulted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
1984 - Samantha Smith & Katerina Lycheva Children's Peace Garden, Pine Grove Park, Port Huron, Michigan (USA). Click here for Wikipedia article about Samantha Smith [1972-1985]. See 1989 statue in Augusta, Maine (USA). Soviet schoolgirl Katerina Lycheva (age 11) made a five-city "peace trip" tour of the USA as a memorial to Samantha Smith (who died at age 13). Entry #510 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
1987 - Lion & Lamb Peace Arts Center, Bluffton University, Riley Court (Lower Level), Spring Street, Bluffton, Ohio (USA). Several other peace monuments are on the grounds of the center. Right image shows Moon Gate and Peace Wall. Entry #790 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
June 1988 - "Children of the World" sculpture, Nordkapp / North Cape (Norway). "Seven sculptures designed by children (aged between 8 & 12 years) from seven lands, symbolising friendship, hope, joy & working together. They came here for seven days & dreamed of peace, and created these sculptures dedicated to Peace on Earth. A monument nearby entitled Mother and Child is by the sculptor Eva Rybakken." North Cape is the northernmost point in Europe. "It offers breathtaking views popular with hikers and tourists, a 307-metre high plateau, and a cliffside building that houses a cafe, shops, and a theatre."
1989? - Kambanite / Bells ("Banner of Peace" Monument), Sofia (Bulgaria). Contains bells from all over the world. Dedicated to the well being and happiness of children everywhere. "The international 'Banner of Peace' movement dates back to 1979, when the First Children’s Assembly 'Banner of Peace' was held in Sofia in dedication to the International Year of the Child (IYC). By 1989, four assemblies and four meetings of children from all over the world have been held in Sofia. Altogether, 3,900 kids from 138 countries and 14,000 children from Bulgaria have taken part. The movement’s motto is 'Unity, Creativity, Beauty,' while its basic principle is 'Anyone can be a creator in the Peace Assembly.'" See Nicholas Roerich [1874-1947].
June 24, 1990 - "Silent Witness" Memorial, Gander Lake, Gander, Newfoundland (Canada). Memorizes 256 victims who died December 12, 1985, when Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashed while transporting Multinational Force Observers (MFO's) from the Sinai via Cairo to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (USA). Depicts an unarmed soldier holding the hands of two civilian children, each with an olive branch of peace. Sculpted by Stephen Sheilds of Hopkinsville, Kentucky (USA).
August 6, 1990 - Sadako Peace Park, Seattle, Washington (USA). Initiative of conscientious objector Floyd W. Schmoe [1895-2001] who rebuilt homes in Hiroshima (Japan). Inscription: "Sadako Sasaki, Peace Child. She gave us the paper crane to symbolize our yearning for peace in the world. A gift to the people of Seattle from Fratelli's Ice Cream. Daryl Smith - Sculptor. 1990." Vandalized in December 2005 but repaired. Left image shows Schmoe with the statue & peace cranes. Right image shows hibakusha Ken Nakano of Kirkland, Washington. Entry #1063 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
1994 - Prairie Peace Park, Seward, Nebraska (USA) -- 7 miles west of Lincoln on Interstate Highway 80 (exit 388). Peace museum primarily for children, created and owned by Don Tilley. Closed in 2005, but some of its outdoor displays remain. Included 16 sculptures of Sadako Sasaki. Entry #582 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
1995 - Children's Peace Pavilion, in Community of Christ Auditorium building, 100 West Walnut, Independence, Missouri (USA). Click here for the Wikipedia article.
1995 - Children's Peace Statue, Plaza Resolana, 401 Old Taos Highway, Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA). A project of Arroyo del Oso School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Proposed for Los Alamos but turned down by County Council. The statue is a popular venue for the deposition of origami peace cranes. Moved from Plaza Resolana? Entry #618 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
About 1995 - Children's Statue, A.K. Bissell Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA). Donated to city by the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club (ORBRC).
August 6, 1995 - Sadako Peace Garden, 800 El Bosque Road, Santa Barbara, California (USA). Designed by Isabelle Greene & Irma Cavet. A project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & La Casa de Maria. Dedicated on 50th anniversary of Hiroshima. Joined the Gardens for Peace network on June 30, 2002. Entry #154 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).
1998 - Children's Peace Center, Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 East University Parkway, Baltimore, Maryland (USA). "A Children’s Peace and Memorial Garden...was created in memory of children that have been killed each year in Baltimore City due to street violence, and to offer a space for contemplation and healing." Handmade tiles commemorating the lives of children are embedded near the site. See TKF Foundation.
1999 - Bust of Anne Frank, Courtyard, British Library, London (England). Sculpted by Doreen Kern. Marks 70th anniversary of Frank's birth. One of 309 London monuments in Kershman (2007), page 349.
April 19, 2000 - Room of Hope, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA). Final room in the memorial commemorating the victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Design based on the story of Sadako Sasaki. An exhibit explains who she was, and the ceiling is entirely covered with brass peace cranes.
2001 - Bruderhof Peace Barn, Spring Valley Bruderhof, Farmington, Pennsylvania (USA). "Two days after 9/11/2001, the 5th through 8th grade students of the Spring Valley Bruderhof School wanted to do something for peace. They decided to convert an old barn into a museum for peace and a memorial for the victims of terrorism and war. In addition they have handcrafted memorial benches for each passenger and crew member of Flight 93, which are at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania."
2001-2002 School Year - "Westwood's Peace Monument", Westwood Elementary School, near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Canada). Third grade students of class 3D make a classroom monument using virtually every symbol of peace: Dove, crane, CND peace symbol, Banner of Peace, V-sign, torch, biracial handshake. They also search the World Wide Web and post other peace monuments. Click here to see the results.
S
C
UL
P
T2001 - "Circle of Peace" Sculpture, Benson Park Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colorado (USA). Sculpture depicts seven children of different racial backgrounds playing. By Gary Lee Price.
S
C
UL
P
T2003 - "Circle of Peace" Sculpture, Hospital for Women & Children, Huntsville, Alabama (USA). Sculpture by Gary Lee Price. Same sculpture erected in Loveland, Colorado (USA) in 2001. Info courtesy of Anna Lee.
S
C
UL
P
T2002 - "Children of Peace", Garden Walk, Public Library, Downers Grove, Illinois (USA). Click here to see the statue's installation. Artist Gary Lee Price of Springville, Utah, sells copies of this sculpture. Click here for prices & other information.
G
A
RD
E
NS
C
UL
P
T
In Progress - "Big Book: Pages for Peace Project", Groton-Dunstable Regional School District, Groton, Massachusetts (USA). "In October 2004, eight fifth grade students started making a book filled with student literary offerings that would be accepted into the Guinness ,Book of World Records. Today, members of the "Bookmakers and Dreamers Club" ae well on their way to creating the world's largest book - and to focus its subject on world peace. Each page will be 12 feet tall by 10 feet wide. Hundreds of liters of ink will be required to cover 90-square feet on each of 500-double sided pages." The students recently received letters from Blase Bonpane, Howard Zinn, Danny Schechter, Leslie Cagan, Dahr Jamail, Lucinda Marshall, Kathy Kelly, Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Cathy Hoffman, Sayre Sheldon, Helen Caldicott & Desmond Tutu. They have also heard from Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou & Martin Sheen, along with hundreds of everyday people.
October 25, 2006 - "Spirit of Peace," Peace Garden, Lyndale Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA). Sculpture by artist Caprice Glaser topped by giant "origami" peace crane.
October 26, 2006 - House of Peace & Dialogue (HPD), Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh (India). "A peace promoting initiative for youth from all over the world. Based on the firm belief that dialogue and respect for all forms of life are the keys in reducing conflict and creating a platform for coexistence and peace... Inaugurated in the presence and blessings of His Holyness the XVII Galwa Karamapa Rinpoche [in image] & the project's partner Mr. Svein Wilhelmsen, Chairman, Basecamp Explorer Co. & his delegates including Dr. Lars and Ms. Tina Frisk and several other visitors." Dharamsala is the home of the Dalai Lama.
July 15, 2009 - Peace Monument, Kampala & Juba Road, Gulu (Uganda). To commemorate education’s importance in ensuring peace, The Dutch Embassy commissioned a sculpture conisting of three destroyed guns at the feet of a girl and boy reading a pile of text books. After speaking at length about education’s role in a post-conflict environment, the Dutch Ambassador, Jeroen Verheul, celebrated the sculpture’s unveiling by hosting a lunch for local community leaders. The books, Verheul noted, portrayed education as a pillar of knowledge, an instrument of reconciliation and a basis for moral building.
