Spar Street’s “The Heart of Peace”
Claes Nobel, Co-founder & Chairman – World Peace One Foundation

“The Heart of Peace” is so beautiful, so awe-inspiring… it speaks a thousand heart-warming words. Master Artist Spar Street, in his captivating “The Heart of Peace” sculpture, has tapped into a depth of art, art which holds the hope of transforming humanity and the world. His “The Heart of Peace” sculpture is worthy of inspiring people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, and religions, worldwide.

“The Heart of Peace” exudes sublime, eternal values. Its shape portrays Divine Love. Its gold color represents truth, purity and value. Its open, see-through space suggests a new world based on the virtuous ideals and divine principles of compassion, altruism, earth ethics, and universal peace. Spontaneously, it generates the finest thoughts and emotions ever found in the human heart. It literally exudes love and hope. I can well see how, in a most miraculous manner, “The Heart of Peace” will communicate “Heart to Heart”… with the peoples of the world, with Mother Earth and with God. It holds the hope of becoming the global catalyst for harmony and peace on Earth. It paves
the way for cultivating the ideal of “Reverence for Life.”

I envision large “The Heart of Peace” sculptures beautifying airports, harbors, capitol buildings, and parks throughout the world, as if to say “welcome,” “goodbye,” and “good earth,” to all of the travelers, visitors, and residents who view those monuments. I envision these sculptures acting as constant reminders, encouraging people to “Look to their Hearts” more and more in their everyday lives.

In the same manner as the towering Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor greets seekers of freedom by saying, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” I envision “The Heart of Peace” sculpture will likewise become the great gateway by which the human race will enter into the golden age of universal peace, built on a culture of deep connection with self and truth. I envision that, in time, “The Heart of Peace” shall be viewed and admired much in the same way that we, today, view the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

Furthermore, for both aesthetic and symbolic reasons, The World Peace One Foundation has selected Spar Street’s creation “The Heart of Peace” as its International Heart of Peace Award. We will award and honor those persons who ceaselessly dedicate their lives to world peace and world service, and who are thereby creating a better, safer, and saner world.

Claes Nobel

Co-founder & Chairman – World Peace One Foundation

Spar Street – A Closer View
Herman J. Milligan, Jr., Ph.D

U.S. based artist Spar Street’s striking sculptural work focuses on how living and working environments can be transformed “into vibrant, meaningful spaces: spaces full of the power to ignite passion and help us lead lives centered (on) the vision we hold for our common future.” For many years he has primarily worked in stainless steel and bronze to create vibrant, smooth, anthropomorphic sculptures reminiscent of the works of Constantin Brancusi, Donald Judd, and Carl Andre to symbolize humanity’s quest for meaning, self-discovery, and connection.

Commenting on making art, Street says “Creating sculpture is a sensual, visceral, as well as visual process for me. Much of the work is done with my eyes closed—breathing deeply, quieting everything inside me until I am listening with my heart and my hands to the lines and surfaces, and what I describe as the ‘calling’ or ‘soul’ of the artwork.”

Exalted Giving, a six foot sculpture, portrays the quest for human interactivity and enlightenment through the use of curvilinear open spheres that are interconnected at the base, perhaps used as a metaphor for ‘birth’ or ‘coming from the earth’ thus yielding, in a sense, individual personas which through meaningful constructive interactivity, culminates in a ‘crystallization’ of being, represented by the curved oval shape at the top.

The Eternal Flame, standing six and a half feet tall, employs a more solid, yet transparent rendition of a flame that appears to be burning brightly. The notion of volume and energy is expertly portrayed through manipulating the curvaceous nature of a flame via swirling movement that again culminates at the top. Deep illuminated patina is used to communicate the ‘warming’ or ‘hot’ attributes of the flame or the ‘life force’ from within.

Both pieces demonstrate the mastery Street possesses to use sculpture as a metaphor for the ongoing quest for human meaning and existence. Interconnectedness is demonstrated through balancing shape, size, color, and texture that exudes a sense of ‘lightness’ in the work that makes it approachable, yet thought-provoking.

Through close examination of the figurative or abstracted form in these works, the audience is allowed to explore their inner being. Street gives the viewer the freedom to develop their own narrative with the hope of achieving self-actualization through observation and reflection.

Herman J. Milligan, Jr., Ph.D

Advisor to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C.; Contributor to Forecast Public Art Magazine; on the Development Board for Public Art Review; on the Boards of Directors/ Advisory Boards for Artspace Projects, Inc.; IFP Center for Media Arts; Juxtaposition Arts (Minneapolis, MN); Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (Minneapolis, MN); SOO Visual Arts Center (Minneapolis, MN).