Boston, MA
STIMSON is one of the five final teams selected for the new Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King Memorial on Boston Common. Avenue Of Peace is a memorial walkway, sculpture, and water feature set within the Boston Common to honor and celebrate the lives and values of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King. This memorial is not a singular sculpture, but rather a site for public contemplation and understanding. Peace, the cornerstone of their values, is central to the design of this monument. The public is invited to take a journey along the avenue. Stone benches, where people can sit and learn about the couple and their histories, will line the walkway. A mixture of evergreens and seasonal deciduous trees will be interspersed between the benches. A fastigiate cultivar of the White Pine, called the “Tree of Peace” by indigenous peoples of New England, will symbolize the couple’s enduring values, while deciduous trees will mark the passing of time by changing color with the rest of the park. Toward the center of the avenue will stand a tall fountain covered in colorful mosaic, set in the middle of a continuous oval pool lined with black granite. The mosaic design incorporates the couple’s names alongside olive branches that will remind viewers of peace as mosaic’s reflection shimmers in the pool. The space along the mosaic fountain and pool serve as an area for gathering. The public are invited to sit, reflect, learn, and contemplate on the lives and values of the couple, in a moment of stillness.
Avenue of Peace will inspire visitors to learn, converse, and carry on Martin and Coretta’s legacy.
Collaborators
Yinka Shonibare, Artist