Circle Of Peace

"Circle of Peace"

While walking through Largo Central Park, located in Largo, Florida, some might notice some various sculptures of children playing carelessly in assorted places throughout the site. One bronze statue is of a small girl holding a balloon in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other, whereas another statue is of two young boys that appear to be best friends standing next to each other with warm grins on their faces. These statues have always been interesting to me, how detailed and jovial the children seem.

One specific sculpture that sparks my interest is one to be found to the east of the Time Square Clock, set up on a hill surrounded by three sets of spotlights. The name of the figure is "Circle of Peace" and it shows seven children playing what seems to be merry-go-round. It appears to be a very interactive piece only for the reason that the paths leading up to the sculpture, have two of the seven children's hands open as if they are waiting for you to come and play with them. I never walk through the park without stopping by this piece and to be honest I have never seen anyone walk by without, at least, glancing at it. The author of this sculpture, as well as the other sculptures in the park, is named Gary Price and "Circle of Peace" was crafted on June 30, 1999. This work of art was dedicated to the park on July 4, 2000, Independence Day. The sculpture sits 55" high x 10ft in diameter, almost life-size. Two of the girls in the sculpture have rings on their fingers, one engraved with the initials "CTR", and the children's expressions are fun loving and careless.

The location of the art form is perfect, one that is memorable. Also, being that it sits on a hill, it's an eye-catcher and I can see why this setting was chosen due to the fact that people are constantly passing by. It's