New York Peace Angel Artist rendering – front view
Location:
AOPCT will work closely with the political leadership of New York to find a suitable location for placement of the thirty-foot Monument. An honorable site will be selected that will have high visibility and will have easy public access through the use of public transportation. It is expected that once this Monument is completed and placed, it will become a destination for people to visit, not only for New Yorkers, but for people from all over the United States, as well as for people from around the world.
Size:
The New York Peace Monument will stand approximately thirty-feet tall by thirty-feet wide and thirty-feet deep, which includes the ten-foot “base” called “The Conversation”. On the stairs of the base, there will be thirty life-sized portrait-castings of individuals who are proactively working towards peace and prosperity in our time.
Weapons Mix:
Street weapons gathered through law enforcement. Weapons gathered worldwide through embassies and consulates. Processed decommissioned nuclear missile casings.
Finish:
The outer surface of the Emissaries, the Ambassadors and the Monument will display a highly polished finish of stainless steel. It will keep its luster for many years and will be affected very little by the elements of weather. As visitors to the sculptures view them, they will see an image of themselves in the reflection from the surface of the sculptures, reminding them that the call for peace is everyone’s responsibility to heed.
Design Inspiration:
After having gone through the Crusades, Rome’s population had shrunk from over one million citizens to only seventeen thousand. It became necessary to rebuild. So began the Italian Renaissance, a movement of broad cultural achievement in Italy, which included the arts and sciences, as well as society and government. To this day, the idea of rebirth lies at the very heart of all Renaissance achievements. After September 11, 2001, a Renaissance began in New York and took hold, spreading all across America. It is the rebuilding of our culture and the desire to permanently remove illegal weapons, which is the theme of this symbol of peace.
Large Central Figure:
All of the major cultures in the world recount stories of archangels or angelic messengers which represent the protection of people’s highest selves. So it is that the large, central figure stands with those around it who do the ‘highest good for humanity’. Based on the Italian Renaissance period, the figure holds the olive branch which is a symbol of peace, and a book which is representative of wisdom. The figure rests atop an obelisk, which is an ancient symbol for rebirth. The wings are wide and soaring, appearing to move in a powerful, yet gentle wind, which represents the movement time.
Base:
The people who will be standing on the stairs are life-sized castings of individuals who have accomplished great humanitarian achievements in contemporary times. These are people of action who are standing together for peace and for prosperity. The design of the stairs is in a ‘ventaglio’ shape, that of a welcoming curved fan. There will be a ribbon going down the stairs which will be carved with the names of each individual and with a description of the work they are doing to promote the common good.
Time to Complete:
Emissaries (three feet): approximately one year Ambassadors (thirteen feet): approximately two years Monument (thirty feet): approximately four years
Weapons:
It is proposed that weapons will be requested locally (all 5 boroughs), from the tri-state area (New Jersey, Connecticut & New York), nationally with support from Mayors Against Illegal Guns and internationally with the help of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.
Additional Information:
History of the Thirteen-Foot New York Peace Angel The New York Peace Angel sculptures will be an extension of the design of the thirteen-foot New York Renaissance Peace Angel which was brought to New York City within weeks of the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001. This thirteen-foot Peace Angel stood for months in front of Nino’s Restaurant in Lower Manhattan, where the rescue workers received free, 24-hour food, beverage and a well-earned place to sit and rest before returning to the devastated World Trade Center site. A brief ceremony was held near Ground Zero to welcome the Peace Angel to New York City.
Nino's Restaurant - October 2001- Photographer- Peter Danello, Jr.
Having stood at the gateway of the World Trade Center tragedy post 9/11, this icon for peace inspired a quiet grace and renewed strength for all those who gazed upon it, even amidst the devastation. As a symbol of hope, it steadfastly watched over the hard working Police Officers, Firemen and Rescue Workers during the World Trade Center rescue and recovery mission.
Nino's Restaurant - October 2001- Photographer- Peter Danello, Jr.
Below is a letter from the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation requesting that the New York Renaissance Peace Angel ‘Ambassador’ become a part of their exhibit at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center in New York City.
Event at the United Nations on September 11, 2008
The Art of Peace Charitable Trust inaugural reception and dinner took place at the United Nations, Delegates Dining Room, on Thursday, September 11, 2008. Included in the 150 people in attendance were New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau; United Nations High Representative Sergio Duarte, Chief of Disarmament; John Catsimatides; representatives of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and representatives of the Council of Unity. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was unable to attend and sent a letter of support that was read during the dinner presentations.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Lin Evola-Smidt - November 2001
Former Mayor and Mrs Giuliani & Lin Evola-Smidt - November 2001
New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Lin Evola-Smidt, John Catsimatides, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte – at the UN on September 11, 2008
Additional Photos:
New York Renaissance Peace Angel (Bust)
Lin Evola-Smidt and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly- December 2007
Nino's Restaurant - October 2001- Photographer- Peter Danello, Jr.
