Vietnam Veteran Memorial at One Ellis Square A Community-Wide Effort in Beverly, Massachusetts
The Public Art Archive team recently received a call from Denise Dechamps, Economic Development Planner for the City of Beverly, Massachusetts. Denise inquired about how she might go about adding the City’s newly installed Vietnam Veteran Memorial at One Ellis Square to the Public Art Archive’s repository. After this brief exchange, the City sent the Public Art Archive team a wonderfully comprehensive set of information detailing the Memorial, the process leading up to the installation of the Memorial, and the community’s embrace of the newly dedicated project.
Photo above: Close-up of Vietnam Veteran Memorial at One Ellis Square. Bronze by Jane DeDecker. 2018. Unknown Photographer.
The Memorial was unveiled on Veterans Day, November 11, 2018 and was designed by artist Jane DeDecker. It commemorates the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans. The Memorial is located next to the Unitarian Universalist Church, a site specifically referencing the location of Beverly’s draft board, which had been located in a building directly adjacent to the church and the newly redesigned plaza. The young man, depicted in bronze, seated on a bench holding his draft card, represents those young men who would visit the draft board and then wait outside for the bus to Boston to begin their basic training. In addition to the sculpture, the project also raised funds to include six plaques that were installed on granite plinths surrounding the plaza, detailing different facets of the War experience. The names of the eleven (11) local men killed in action are also memorialized on the individual bronze plaques. An app was created by Montserrat College of Art sharing stories about the lives of these eleven men. The Memorial is both a reflection of stories specific to Veterans in the City of Beverly as well as shared common experiences between Veterans.
After reading the description, it was evident how significant this project was to the Beverly community; the Public Art Archive team wanted to highlight this particular work because it truly reflects, in both process and product, just how meaningful public art can be to a community, from project onset to installation and beyond.
The City of Beverly was gracious enough to answer a set of follow-up questions about the Vietnam Veteran Memorial at One Ellis Square; their responses are included in the brief interview below. You can view the work on the Public Art Archive here.
Why a Vietnam Memorial? Had there been a long-term conversation within the community about the need and desire to erect a memorial devoted to the service members, or was it the timely redesign of the plaza that had originally been conceived as the site of a memorial that regenerated the need for this memorial in the community?
When the plaza was officially dedicated as the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Plaza at One Ellis Square back in 1981, a simple memorial was erected in honor of the veterans. It consisted of a large concrete planter, flag pole, and plaque commemorating the event. Funds were limited at that time and the hope was that a more significant memorial would be created at a later date. When discussions began a few years ago regarding the redesign of the plaza, given its prominent location downtown and potential as both an active and reflective space, it was acknowledged that the redesign would provide an opportunity to follow through on the promise of designing a memorial that would be meaningful to the Vietnam veterans.
Were the Vietnam veterans who participated eager to participate in this public art project? How did you locate those who opted to be involved? How many veterans joined the committee?
Photo above: Day of delivery and preparations for final installation. Pictured (from left to right): Mary Casey, sister of the sculptor Jane DeDecker, and her dog, Ellie, who drove the sculpture across country from Colorado to Massachusetts. Members of the City of Beverly Selection Committee: Corey Paulette, member of Beverly Vietnam Veterans First Lieutenant Stephen H. Doane Post #1; Jerry Guilebbe, City of Beverly Veterans Agent (retired) and member of Beverly Vietnam Veterans First Lieutenant Stephen H. Doane Post #1; Chuck Clark, Commander of Beverly Vietnam Veterans First Lieutenant Stephen H. Doane Post #1. Jane DeDecker, artist/sculptor. Kevin Harutunian, Chief of Staff, City of Beverly; David Perinchief, City of Beverly Veterans Agent who are also members of the Selection Committee. Photo submitted by Denise Dechamps.
Yes! The Vietnam veterans were extremely eager to participate in the design of the memorial. In fact, a group of veterans approached the City to provide their thoughts on the potential design. There is a very active core group of Vietnam veterans in Beverly associated with Beverly Vietnam Veterans Post #1, and there is also the city-sponsored Veterans Council. Our selection committee consisted of eight individuals—four of them are veterans and one other person is closely aligned with the Vietnam veterans community. Everyone in the group became educated around the process required of a municipality to engage an artist, or any individual or entity, to perform work.
Was the call for proposals/artists open to the public, or had the committee narrowed down a list of artists that had been reviewed prior to the call to artists going out? What were some of the qualities of the art that the selection committee was looking for (e.g. something realistic, abstract, bronze, traditional, participatory. etc.)?
The City did issue a call-to-artists that was open to the public. The Committee did not have any preconceived thoughts as to who the artist might be. Everyone was very excited about the prospect of receiving a variety of thoughtful and innovative design concepts, both from the local area as well as nationally. The call-to-artists did describe the significance of the plaza to Vietnam veterans. It also provided some additional guidance as to specifically where the memorial would be located within the plaza, and height limitations. There was a desire to have it compliment the character of the downtown and provide historical information about those who served and the war itself. As for materials, it was stated they should be durable and low maintenance. The City also identified the maximum budget available and project time frame.
Did you receive citywide support for the project outside of veterans’ groups? Since the project’s inauguration, have you received more inquiries about other memorials and works of public art the community would now like to create?
A number of articles appeared in the local newspaper making the community aware of progress. Funding came from a variety of sources including private citizens and area institutions; a state grant and budget appropriation; local Community Preservation Committee funds; the City; and, of course, the veterans themselves, who worked to fundraise locally. Beverly is very fortunate to have a burgeoning creative economy. We have Montserrat College of Art located downtown. Endicott College, also in Beverly, has a very strong arts program. A large portion of our downtown has been designated as a Cultural District by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City is working with the Commonwealth to create plans to further invigorate the Cultural District and create and identity. We also have a lot of artists locating their studios in the downtown area. So we definitely want to encourage interest in public art, both its appreciation and creation. Interaction with and creation of art by the community is a very important piece.
Was there any disagreement about how to envision the memorial?
I wouldn’t necessarily use the word “disagreement,” but initially, the veterans were considering a relatively traditional memorial that included an obelisk with the names of the local fallen and educational information about the Vietnam War. The Committee met several times to discuss various design concepts and eventually agreed unanimously to issue the call-to-artists. All involved believed that this was an incredibly rare opportunity to locate a meaningful and thought-provoking piece of public art right in the middle of downtown, so there was a strong desire to make sure that we found the best possible design that would represent the service and sacrifice of veterans.
Photo above: Photo of the unveiling on November 11, 2018. Submitted by Denise Dechamps.
Do you hope that the success of this project will spawn more public art projects in the Beverly community?
The City of Beverly, in every planning process, conveys the importance of incorporating art into public or privately-owned spaces (that are very visible and/or frequented by large numbers of people), whether it is decorative or functional. Public art is impactful on so many levels. It beautifies, it defines a place to gather or rest or play, it may provide a function such as wayfinding or seating, and it may also provide historical or other information that helps the visitor learn more about a place and specifically the people. Beverly is a very vital, active community and we are excited about what the future may bring.
*Montserrat College of Art offered to assist with the development of an app that included information about the 11 men from Beverly who were killed in action. The app displays a video providing information about the lives and sacrifices of each person and includes photos, newspaper clippings, and the reminiscences of family members and friends, with voiceover by Chuck Clark, Commander of the Beverly Vietnam Veterans Post #1. This app may be accessed at the site of the memorial or you may find the videos on YouTube here. The app and video were created by Montserrat College of Art Assistant Professor Chelsea Sams and college senior Sarah Eldridge.
As an interesting side note, the community has really embraced the sculpture. Since it was installed in November, we have noticed that people have wrapped a winter scarf around his neck on cold days, put a Christmas wreath in his arms during the holidays and, most recently, placed an Army hat on his head. I consider these affectionate gestures that indicate people’s response to the sculpture.
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The Public Art Archive team was grateful to work with the City of Beverly on the inclusion of this work in the Public Art Archive as well as the subsequent article. The goal of the Public Art Archive is to make public art more public by increasing the accessibility of information regarding public art in any community to the public. The Archive accepts submissions from artists and those who work with public art collections at no cost, and artwork records include both text, images, maps, and additional multimedia relating to the project.
If you have public art in your community, contribute to this growing repository of public art throughout the world while building exposure for your collection. Visit www.publicartarchive.org to learn more or contact us today to get started!
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