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< Civic-Cultural

New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing

A place for families to honor and celebrate loved ones lost to gun violence, this memorial garden aims to raise awareness of the impact of gun deaths and inspire leaders and communities to address the multiple roots of violence.

COLLABORATION ART INTEGRATION RESULT Perspective Sculpture

Location

New Haven, CT

Services

Conceptual Design, Architectural Services, Artwork

Project Size and Type

1/2 Acre
New Construction

Schedule

Completion: May 2021

Collaboration

Victims’ families shared personal stories of loss, grief, and struggle, as well as their paths to recovery and hope in a collaborative visioning process designed to develop concepts for the memorial.

Art Integration

Gun deaths represent “an entire generation and lineage lost.” As such, the central sculpture depicts a collage of figures, with some depicted by voids – illustrating the sense of absence when loved ones are lost to tragedy. This serves as a reminder of both the fragility and strength inherent within the family unit and the community.

Result

The design for the memorial garden provides a path embedded with engraved stone pavers for visitors to walk the site, as ambient sounds from a row of lamppost wind chimes mask traffic noise. Arriving at a serene circular garden with flowering plantings and wood benches, visitors remember loved ones among memory tiles laid into a stone wall carrying phrases shared by New Haven families.