Thursday, January 24, 2013

Brouhaha In Bronze

We like this statue of two young kids playing basketball, found on the east side of the Buena underpass in the Peace Garden.  It was installed in autumn of 2010.  Its base carries a message calling for racial tolerance; it's in a sweet setting; and the non-traditional bronze statue is interesting. What's not to like?

We forgot we were in Uptown, where controversy has always found a home.  Even statues get the hairy eyeball, apparently.

Thanks to a reader for finding and sending in this article from New City:   Monumental Error? How a Statue Honoring a Controversial Japanese Religious Leader Wound Up in a Chicago Park.

Read it and see if you think the statue is a recruiting tool for a cult-like religion or simply what it appears to be, a symbol of racial tolerance.  We'll continue to enjoy it, no matter what its back story is.

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