Ten years ago, a peace agreement was signed in Dayton, Ohio, to bring an end to the brutal 1992-95 conflicts among Bosnia’s Croats, Muslims, and Serbs. The war left about 200,000 dead and uprooted half the country from their homes. The agreement was the beginning of a long road to peace. While continuing communication between nations’ leaders is essential, the Dayton Peace Accords Project, and its successor organization, Dayton – A Peace Process, illustrated how true peace could only be achieved through extending hands at a grassroots level.

In remembrance of that event, the ambassador from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bisera Turkovic, came to Dayton in November to meet with U.S. Representative Michael Turner and to participate in dinner with speaker Richard C. Holbrooke, chief U.S. negotiator during the original talks.

The Dayton Peace Prize has been awarded three times before this year’s recognition of Richard C. Holbrooke. Previous recipients include Bishop Desmond Tutu, President Bill Clinton (2000), and George Soros (2002). Holbrooke accepted the 2005 Dayton Peace Prize at the black-tie dinner. The 2005 Peace Prize sculpture, Continental Harmony (featured on cover of this issue), was created by sculptor and musician Michael Bashaw.

“My intention in creating Continental Harmony was to focus on something that would unify us as a people,” says Michael. “As both a musician and a visual artist, it is my belief that the arts and humanities reveal universal truths – matters of the heart that can move us toward a shared human vision. We may not always agree on what constitutes beauty or aesthetic significance, but the importance of the creative process is a shared universal tenet. Furthermore, the treasure of music and sound is something everyone can cherish. In the creation of this sculpture, no weight was given to actual physical proportions, one over the other. My objective was only the visual relationship to the whole. All of the world’s continents are represented in this sculpture. I have used those parts of the physical outlines of the continents where the visual similarities and aesthetics relate to each other. As a symbol of harmony, I incorporated rod chimes in a diatonic scale (seven tones) in the Dorian mode, the first universally accepted musical system. Thus, this award symbolizes the hope for harmony among and within the seven continents and peace built upon the highest of human ideals.”

In addition to Continental Harmony, Michael also created Peace Maker that was awarded to Farida Musanović, Board Member of “Women for Women International”, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is the first time that the Dayton Peacemaker Prize was awarded. Peace Maker incorporates the internationally recognized symbol for peace, the dove along with the olive branch. The dove is perched upon the sphere of the world, as the abstracted continents emerge from the sphere of the world on Continental Harmony. Peace Maker is a figurative, emotional realization of the ideal of peace. The two perspectives are necessary to a full appreciation of world peace.

Guests at the November 17th event received a commemorative Olive Branch Bell created by Bashaw. The Olive Branch Bell represents peace in the physical world – its sound celebrates peace.

The works of art were designed in wax and cast in silicone bronze, in a process called green sand molding, by James D. Claffey of the Non-Ferrous Casting Company in Dayton, Ohio. After casting, Michael Bashaw brought pieces to Hobart Institute for Ron Scott to silver solder the leaves onto the olive branch, as Jack Jacobs of Hobart Brothers Company welded the continents onto the sphere. Pieces were then given a final polish by Quality Polishing and Michael Bashaw prior to presentation.

Bashaw is best known for the large welded steel musical instrument and sound sculptures he creates and plays with his THEATRE OF SOUND ensemble, which includes his wife, Sandy. Michael and Sandy hosted a reception for, and created a performance with, principal members of the Sarajevo Circle theater company at the first anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in Dayton, Ohio, in November 1996. Held in Bashaw’s studio loft and attended by international heads of state, diplomats, peacekeeping groups and international press, this powerful and emotional performance moved many in the audience to tears. During a visit to Bosnia in June 1999, the Bashaws performed for the children in the hospital in Sarajevo and for an international audience of dignitaries at a reception given by U.S. Ambassador Kauzlarich. In November 1999, they performed in Dayton, Ohio with the Sarajevo Philharmonic during the Dayton Peace Accords Anniversary celebration. In October 2004, they performed an original composition (Balances) with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bosnian National Theatre in Sarajevo, gave a concert in Split, Croatia, and were featured on Croatian National Television.

Credits:
www.michaelbashaw.com
www.puzzleoflight.com
James D. Claffey / Non-Ferrous Casting Company of Dayton, Ohio.
“The Tenth Anniversary Commemoration of the Dayton Peace Accords,” presented by Dayton-A Peace Process.