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One Columbia endorses Persimmon Peace Pole design; council panel refers project to full council
Summary
Panel members endorsed a Persimmon Peace Pole design and moved it to full council for approval. Presenters described the pole's design, the artist's intent, ties to Hiroshima Day remembrance and plans to transplant a seedling sourced from Hiroshima alongside the final installation.
Members of a Columbia City panel endorsed a proposed Persimmon Peace Pole design and voted Dec. 10 to refer the project to full council for final approval. The referral followed a presentation and historical context provided by Miss Frick, who described the design and its connection to local Hiroshima Day remembrance activities.
Miss Frick told the panel the Persimmon Peace Pole, designed by Olga Yukno, is a ceramic piece that includes the phrase "May peace prevail on Earth" in eight languages, framed by persimmon and ginkgo imagery and a motif representing the nuclear threat. "She has very strong and wonderful artistic talent to put that strong feeling of hers and of ours in there," Miss Frick said, describing the work as both aesthetic and durable.
Miss Frick said the Columbia Peace Pole Initiative grew from local Hiroshima Day remembrances beginning in 1990 and was formalized in 2016. She said a persimmon seedling grown from seeds connected to trees that sprouted after the Hiroshima bombing has been nurtured at the botanical gardens and would be planted near the completed artwork; the city parks department has maintained the young tree and will transfer it when the installation is ready.
Council discussion focused on whether site selection needed to be included in the referral to full council; Miss Thomas, a city staff member, said placement will be coordinated with Miss Frick and city parks staff and does not need to be specified in the referral. The parks department and the Peace Pole Initiative have discussed potential locations, including the Saluda Riverwalk and a site near Finlay Park; final placement will be determined by staff as part of the approval process.
A motion to forward the Persimmon Peace Pole project to full council for approval was moved and seconded and recorded as approved. The meeting record shows the panel also approved the Dec. 10 meeting minutes earlier in the session.
Miss Frick invited council members and the public to the Columbia Hiroshima Day remembrance scheduled for the evening following the meeting; she said the remembrance events inspired the local Peace Pole Initiative and the current design proposal.
