Patriot Plaza Filled with Works of Art Saluting Veterans

The new Patriot Plaza of Sarasota is now open and featuring works of art that are saluting our veterans. The original planning of Patriot Plaza intended on incorporating photographs into the design. The design and experience of the plaza was planned out by the Patterson Foundation as well as the National Cemetery Association. Let’s look at the details of the new Patriot Plaza.

Remember Veterans

The Patriot Plaza was intended to be a way to remember veterans and their families. Coming up with the best way to do this was a challenge, but it’s finally come together. The 1.83 acre plaza contains $2 million in art, funded by the Patterson Foundation.  It was dedicated last June at Sarasota’s National Cemetery after a long time of careful planning.

Photos

The lead artist of for the veteran artwork was Larry Kirkland who worked directly with The Patterson Foundation to make their vision come to life.  The first decision made was to incorporate photography somehow into the design, so Kirkland used the walkways of the plaza to display marble tablets and white marble plinths to show these images.

One, Service, Support and Sacrifice is shown through text and images on the Georgia marble tablets. Witness to Mission is on the white marble plinths showing photojournalism of the country’s military history.

Sculptures

The other way the plaza is saluting veterans is through sculpture art. The plaza chose eagle sculptures as well as military men in action jumping from a plane or in the battle field. Kirkland also worked with researchers to determine what type of texts to display. They used the words of military men and families to present their stories with the art.

Finally, you can’t miss the Night to Day mosaic spanning the amphitheater’s stage. It’s there to show the time zones where military and their families reside.

The Patriot Plaza is a place residents must stop by to see the beautiful art saluting our soldiers.