The GBNA applied for an Enhancement Grant through the City of Gresham in March 2023 seeking to install something other than a traditional peace pole at the Peace Plaza in Main City Park. GBNA members thought a peace pole might become subject to vandalism and the need for more frequent maintenance. When asked by GBNA President Jim Buck, the well-known and celebrated sculptor, Rip Caswell, of Troutdale, suggested that two koi swimming in a circular pattern might represent the “harmony” concept artistically, While cranes often are shown in artistic creations to represent peace in Japan, there is already a beautiful crane sculpture in the Ebetsu Plaza situated adjacent to the Peace Plaza, so another theme was sought. Rip Caswell created a clay koi sculpture that was graphically shown on a basalt stone pillar with the Kanji engraving of peace and harmony. There were 33 applications for the Enhancement Grant process, and the GBNA submission scored the highest of any grant request by the committee selected to screen the projects. On May 4, 2023 GBNA was officially notified that it was awarded $8900 for this art project, which should be installed near the Hiroshima gingko seedling that was planted last September in Main City Park, thanks to another grant received by GBNA last year and months of volunteer efforts to prepare and landscape the site.
The visual representation of the sculpture is shown below in clay: the actual finished product will be in bronze. Installation should occur sometime this coming summer. A wooden bench will also be installed in the Peace Plaza around the same time with the generous help of Gresham Japanese Garden volunteers.
— Jim Buck, GBNA President
