Growing Peace
I was recently invited by the Fields Project of Oregon, IL to create a monumental 5 acre field sculpture. My design, Growing Peace was meant to imprint the earth, inviting observers to become participants in our shared goal for peace. I used the foot, a symbol that continues to dominate my work as the primary motif in Growing Peace. It’s power lies in its universality. We stand and walk with our feet, which gives us stability and grounds us to the earth.
For me peace is a process, as alive as any plant, growing rationally and emotionally in our minds and hearts. Can we grow peace? Can we cultivate it in our children, nurture it in our youth.
The Fields Project placed agriculture in a cultural context and created a space for people to see things with a fresh perspective.
From the sky the five-acre sculpture revealed itself in its entirety, allowing us to experience our deep ecological connection to the earth and understand that we are a small part in a much larger scheme. From the ground, we saw the elements that shaped the idea. Perspective was lost and gained from either vantage point, elegantly reminding us of the larger goal of peace as well as the need to be mindful of the small everyday actions that make peace a reality.
As Growing Peace is gradually absorbed back into the earth, I hope that the traces remaining in our memory prompt us to plant the seeds that will yield a harvest of peace in humanity.
For me peace is a process, as alive as any plant, growing rationally and emotionally in our minds and hearts. Can we grow peace? Can we cultivate it in our children, nurture it in our youth.
The Fields Project placed agriculture in a cultural context and created a space for people to see things with a fresh perspective.
From the sky the five-acre sculpture revealed itself in its entirety, allowing us to experience our deep ecological connection to the earth and understand that we are a small part in a much larger scheme. From the ground, we saw the elements that shaped the idea. Perspective was lost and gained from either vantage point, elegantly reminding us of the larger goal of peace as well as the need to be mindful of the small everyday actions that make peace a reality.
As Growing Peace is gradually absorbed back into the earth, I hope that the traces remaining in our memory prompt us to plant the seeds that will yield a harvest of peace in humanity.
