Arts & Entertainment

Spotted Buddha Sculptures in Evanston? Here's Why.

Ten "emerging Buddhas" around the city are designed to promote peace and are part of a public art project that also includes a series of community workshops this spring.

With warm weather comes new leaves and buds—as well as ten sculpted Buddha sculpturess emerging from the ground in Evanston. 

Local artist Indira Johnson installed the sculptures around the city as part of a public art project called Ten Thousand Ripples, taking place in Evanston and nine other Chicago-area communities in partnership with the Chicago arts organization Changing Worlds

Johnson solicits input from residents of each area on where to place the Buddhas, then encourages community groups to start discussions around a theme related to peace.

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Earlier:

“A powerful and profound need exists within each of us to know that peace is possible in spite of the violence that surrounds us,” Johnson said in a press release. “Ten Thousand Ripples is a reminder of that need. It invokes the image of an emerging Buddha as a widely held symbol of peace, inviting people to think about how they can find peace in their own lives and in their communities.” 

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Three arts based community workshops are scheduled for this spring, featuring poetry, visual art, dance and poetry. The theme of the workshops is “bridging differences,” according to the release. They are scheduled for the following dates and locations: 

There is also a full community event scheduled for April 21, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Grey Park. Participants will be asked to weave a fabric bridge to celebrate diversity, with visual artists and food trucks on hand.


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