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Arcing Peace
Dennis Murphy
Columbia, MO, USA

This hands-on sculpture arises from my concern that racism plagues our planet. When skin color separates us we are prevented from acceptance of one another, cooperation and peace.
To symbolize the potential of working together across color lines I've painted these fifteen blocks differing skin hues. Because each block has a 6 degree slant on each end, when they are stacked they make a 180 degree Romanesque arch. This semicircle is noted not only for its strength and durability but for the fact that its totality is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Also, since it takes two or more people to successfully place the pieces the stacking itself becomes cooperative art. When placed on a shiny surface the reflection combines with the arch to create a circle: symbol of unity and grace.
Each long side contains a quote. One from Martin Luther King Jr.: "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." The other is from the Islamic philosopher Saadi: "All peoples are members of the same body, created from one essence.