From the Press Release:
The City of El Paso Public Art Program along with the Crime Victims Rights Council invite the public to the art dedication and unveiling of Remembrance, a memorial monument commemorating local victims of crime by Colorado artist, Ken Bernstein.
The unveiling ceremony is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Thurs., October 1, 2009, at the Crime Victims Memorial Reading Garden, located between the Judge Marquez Library and Yucca Park, at 610 N. Yarbrough.
About the Project
As part of a community improvement project for Yucca Park, 2% of funds were set aside for the design, installation, and fabrication of a memorial monument for the Crime Victims Memorial Reading Garden. Upon review by an artist selection panel, Public Art Committee, and the Cultural Affairs Advisory Board, artist Ken Bernstein from Boulder, Colorado was selected from a pre-qualified group of artists. The Crime Victims Memorial will not only provide a reading-educational area for visitors and residents alike, but most importantly, serve as a gathering place for families and friends to observe and reflect on the memory of their loved ones.
About the Memorial Design
The Crime Victims Memorial is dedicated to those who have died through acts of violence. Walking along the spiral pathways, one is led to a place of Remembrance. The sculptural pavilion consists of two concrete walls connected by a steel roof structure that has the appearance of an abstract wing or butterfly. As a result, the memorial offers a sense of transformation and of taking flight, but it also conveys the somber quality of death’s final statement. Four 8’ diameter polished black granite discs, town on each wall, hold the engraved names of those who have died. Remembrance is a place for the living and a dedication to those who have left us too soon.
About the Artist
Ken Bernstein received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado in 1975. He has worked as a professional artist in Colorado for more than 20 years. His murals, mosaics, and paintings have been chosen as art in public places and are in private and corporate collections both nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Artist Design Resource Team for the Art in Public Places Program in Loveland, CO, and has received grants from the Arts and Humanities of Boulder, the Boulder Arts Commission, the Colorado Council on the Arts, and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. He takes a classical approach to drawing that includes anatomy, technique, and observation. He combines science and art with demonstrations and encouragement.
For more information please contact Marisol Lopez, Public Art Program Specialist, at (915) 541-4257, lopezma@elpasotexas.gov.
