Meet the Peace Corps Park Design Dream Team
By Larry Kirkland
The design team for Peace Corps Park comprises talented and highly respected individuals and firms — designers, engineers, and project managers — with whom I have successfully collaborated on previous projects and whose work I deeply admire. The team brings together some of the best and brightest in the business for this vital project, endeavoring to help tell the Peace Corps story as it truly deserves.
A Glimpse into My Background
Born into a military family, frequent relocations shaped my childhood. Art became my solace amidst shifting homes and schools. Unlike my Naval Academy-bound brothers, I ventured to Oregon for higher education, where a remarkable mentor introduced me to the world of art making and the process of design thinking — the genesis of my career.
For over four decades, my focus has centered on commissions to craft enduring artworks. Each of these opportunities involves a community unified by shared concerns. My creative process commences by immersing myself in these communities, comprehending their motivations, and, most importantly, unraveling their aspirations.
Collaboration underpins all my projects. Alongside accomplished artisans, we have successfully realized over 100 art commissions globally: from Iwate University in northern Japan and The Hong Kong Airport Central Station, to The Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Monument, Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon, The World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur, and Penn Station for New Jersey Transit in New York City.
The Peace Corps Commemorative Commission
The Peace Corps Foundation had a vision to create a commemorative park that would honor the idea that created the Peace Corps – Americans collaborating with global communities to bring about improvements to the lives of others. By transcending boundaries of culture, language and religion, these American volunteers would return to the United States as more informed and compassionate citizens.
The Foundation first embarked on an open design competition in 2015. Close to 200 proposals were reviewed by a jury of respected designers, but no winning concept was chosen. The Foundation then identified and invited a number of landscape architects, architectural firms and sculptors, offering each a stipend, to submit design proposals, but still without success. PCCF President Roger Lewis turned to a colleague, Glen Harper, the editor of Sculpture Magazine, who suggested Larry Kirkland. This led to a face-to-face interview in March 2018.
The process of creating a site-specific art environment that has specific content requires collaboration between the artist and those who desire this work of art. It involves listening to the histories of those passionate about their experiences and conducting research through reading suggested texts. My process strives to integrate me into this community, fostering an instinctive understanding of their aspirations.
At that time, I had completed multi-year efforts for the Disabled Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial in Pittsburgh. Immersing myself in the context of war and the devastating realities of human suffering was difficult for me.
When Roger and I discussed the potential for a Peace Corps Park, joy seemed to re-enter my studio after being absent for several years.
Naturally, my interest was piqued!
Meeting the Challenge
Many of my friends and colleagues are Peace Corps alumni. Listening to their experiences initiated the creative process. Roger and the other board members were candid about their volunteer time. Several concepts were developed, discussed, and discarded. Yet, specific aspects of these initial ideas underwent further development.
The chosen site presents a challenge — a small triangular parcel amidst the street grid and diagonal boulevards that define the District of Columbia, offered by the National Park Service to the Peace Corps Foundation. It is compact, not spacious enough for a basketball court.
The National Park Service, as the sponsor, deemed this piece of land suitable for a modest commemorative area. Despite its constraints, it's been a source of creative fuel, as challenges often are. Each element must carry meaning, and collectively, they must convey the message of reaching out in the service of others. This potent and positive concept should resonate with all who visit this place.
Creating this artwork here is notably intricate, unlike others in my studio practice. The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation guides this effort, while The National Park Service acts as the ultimate client. This requires Congressional authorization — granted by the Peace Corps Commemorative Work Act of 2014 and extended in 2021. The Architect of the Capitol must approve. The Presidentially appointed Commission of Fine Arts must approve at each step of concept and design development. The National Capital Parks Commission also must approve as does the District of Columbia. All these people have opinions. Like breathing the air in Washington, D.C.
The Dream Team
A decade ago, I was introduced to Michael Vergason Landscape Architects in Alexandria, Virginia, when they had been engaged to create the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial (AVDLM) in Washington, D.C. Michael invited me to join their team as the artist. Our collaborative design work not only crafted a compelling visitor experience at the Memorial but also fostered mutual admiration and friendship.
On this team, Jerome Cloud of Cloud Gehshan Associates assumed the role of graphic design expert. The profound expertise and meticulous craftsmanship contributed by Cloud Gehshan played a vital role in shaping the significance of the AVDLM.
When chosen by the Peace Corps Foundation for the conceptual design of the future park in Washington, D.C., I approached these two design firms to work with me. This collaboration extends our successful partnership from the AVDLM project.
Michael Vergason, Beata Corcoran, Doug Hays, Jerome Cloud, and Ian Goldberg are valued partners. Inevitably, we converge on the same design decisions. Their contributions span beyond their disciplines as we scrutinize each facet of the project, from initial concepts to intricate design details.
John Grant served as the Director of Public Art for the City of Denver when I was retained as lead artist on the Denver Civic Center Office Building in 2000. John boasts a photography background and once owned a fine art photography gallery.
Following his city tenure, John started Public Art Services, collaborating with artists to create large-scale artworks across the country. His expertise spans municipal engagement, diverse material fabrication, innate grasp of structural and hydraulic engineering, electrical systems and illumination, and adeptness in handling artists' sensitivities.
He stands as the finest project manager I've ever partnered with. Together, we've crafted substantial pieces for The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, and the iconic Columbia River Pier, including an interactive water feature at Columbia River Waterfront Park in Vancouver, Washington.
Michael Mowry, trained as an architect, wields magical skills in rendering large-scale artworks. Collaborating with John Grant and a dozen or more artists, he transforms conceptual ideas meticulously constructed visual elements. We often explore ideas, discarding them to venture in new directions, akin to a painter wielding dual brushes. Michael, John, and I share a profound mutual respect.
Martin and Martin Engineers, my structural engineers since the 1990s, have been steadfast. From founding partner Charles Keyes to now President Shane McCormick and the skilled Michelle Black, I entrust the design's structural integrity to their expertise.
The team working on creating Peace Corps Park is a dream team. We respect each other and trust in the design decisions each of us make. I trust all of them and find we do our best work when thinking together. They are talented and hard-working creative individuals. Together building significant and memorable spaces that invite the public to reflect on the world we strive for in the future.