In the heart of downtown Birmingham is a greenway that combines public art, memorial and park. Located in the block between the McWane Center and the One Federal Place (3rd and 4th Avenues) on 19th Street North, this project links metro Birmingham to places where ordinary people became heroes and great tragedies inspired the country to come together as nothing has since the Second World War. (CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)
CAP partnered with the City of Birmingham, the Birmingham Art Museum, Keep Birmingham Beautiful, and the Birmingham Art Association to create The 9-11 Memorial Walk: Remembering & Building Hope. The Memorial Walk consists of:
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Liberty Garden--twin granite towers and American flag in flowers
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Children’s Hero Bench, a tile bench created by children
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“The Ribbon”--sculpture bench by a local artist
The Liberty GardenThe Liberty Garden, a project of the Keep Birmingham Beautiful Commission" is composed of a granite bench and twin "towers" with an inscription of part of the President Bush's speech following 9-11. From the bench one can reflect on the towers and the garden behind it, which is kept planted by the City of Birmingham. The Children's Hero Bench
This project brought together children representing the diversity in ethnicity and religious beliefs of the Birmingham Metro area. The children attended a workshop where they participated in readings and dance and enacted skits about the heroes they studied. Then they toured the site and painted ceramic tiles representing their thoughts and perceptions of heroes. A representative group met with a local architect over a period of months to design a bench. All the children who participated returned to place their tiles in the bench.
The Ribbon Sculpture
This bench sculpture, designed by Birmingham artist, Keith Bidwell, is a “memory ribbon” for those whose lives were forever changed by the events of September 11.
Special thanks for making this community treasure to the major sponsors of the Memorial Walk: B.L. Harbert International, who built “The Ribbon” sculpture, Alagasco, ArchitectureWorks, Ready Mix USA, Home Depot, Keep America Beautiful, Colonial Properties, Harbert Realty, and Brookmont Realty.
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