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- The Garden of Peace will serve as an urban space that can be used by people working and living in the area.
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- There is also an entrance into the Garden from the Plaza itself. It will be flanked by a wall on which donors will be acknowledged for their generosity in funding the construction of this significant addition to the public open space of the city, and the commemoration of the hundreds of citizens of Massachusetts who have lost their lives through the act of homicide.
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- Ibis Ascending by Judy Kensley McKie
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- A stream is typically full of water, the life-giver, but this stream is dry, containing only the names of victims inscribed on river stones, reminding us of the lives lost.
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- I want to create a monument that will be uplifting and positive – a universal symbol of the transformation that is possible.
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- It was also the symbol of resurrection.
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- The ibis is a heron-like bird that was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians. It represented their god, Thoth, who was the god of wisdom, healing, love and truth.
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- The cast bronze sculpture I have designed depicts three ibis ascending.
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- The bark of the River Birch changes color with each season and with ongoing maturity. These trees grow best in groups, each tree drawing strength from the other, the way we as individuals draw strength from our family, friends, and community.
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- Judy Kensley McKie attempts to deal with the pain, anger, and grief caused by her son’s murder through her sculpture, ‘Ibis Ascending’, an expression of hope for the future.
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- Each stone is different, representing the uniqueness of each individual, yet united they create their impact through the number of names inscribed.
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- The granite lens, ‘Tragic Density’ represents the visible surface, a mere sliver, of the huge stone of sadness and grief buried in the hearts of those who have suffered the loss of a loved one to homicide. (Catherine Melina is sculptor of ‘Tragic Density’ and designer of the Garden.)
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- Along the pathway running through the Garden, seat walls provide a place where we can sit and meet with friends and family, or quietly contemplate.
