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Commissioned and owned by Soka Gakkai International, this sculpture celebrates racial unity, 2014.
Location:
2045 N Lincoln Park West
Chicago, IL 60614
Location Notes:
Peace Garden just east of Buena Avenue Underpass
Located Within:
Lincoln (Abraham) Park
Artist:
Margo McMahon
Features:
Outdoor, Sculpture
Description
Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide network of lay Buddhists has headquarters in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The organization is dedicated to a common vision of a better world through the empowerment of the individual and the promotion of peace, culture and education. Soon after the group's leader, Daisaku Ikeda, had assumed presidency of the organization in 1960, he visited Chicago and witnessed an act of racial injustice in Lincoln Park. This incident led him to further his commitment to pursuing peace and justice for all human beings.
SGI commissioned Chicago sculptor Margo McMahon to produce the bronze sculpture entitled Peace and Justice. It depicts an African American boy and a white boy playing ball with each other harmoniously. Margo McMahon's other outdoor artworks include the Monsignor John Eagan Monument at DePaul University and Boy Gardener sculpture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.