Ed Asner for Peace and ‘Chain Reaction’ on the Fourth of July
On Independence Day in Santa Monica, Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner played the role he comes to most naturally: the engaged citizen taking a principled stand for what is right, in this case preserving Paul Conrad's compelling reminder of the ever-present danger of a nuclear holocaust.On Independence Day, Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner played the role of engaged citizen taking a principled stand against the abuses of power.
On Independence Day in Santa Monica, Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner played the role he comes to most naturally: the engaged citizen taking a principled stand for what is right, in this case preserving artist and sculptor Paul Conrad’s compelling reminder of the ever-present danger of nuclear annihilation.
In the photograph shown here, Asner is endorsing the effort to preserve “Chain Reaction,” a sculpture created in 1991 by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times cartoonist Paul Conrad as a warning of the horrors of nuclear war.
The piece’s mushroom cloud shape is a rare example of public art acknowledging the United States’ dropping of atomic bombs on the primarily civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the conclusion of World War II. Conrad inscribed his work with a message: “This is a statement of peace. May it never become an epitaph.”
The Santa Monica City Council is threatening to tear “Chain Reaction” down. It cites safety concerns due to the artwork’s diminishing structural integrity and what it says are too-high maintenance costs. Numerous public figures, among them Asner, Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and six former Santa Monica mayors (pictured below) are coming together to preserve the sculpture.
If you want to get involved in the effort to save “Chain Reaction,” visit the Save Chain Reaction website.
Photo credit: Jerry Rubin
Six former Santa Monica Mayors supporting the Save Chain Reaction campaign stand in front of Paul Conrad’s threatened peace sculpture in the Civic Center at the start of the annual Santa Monica 4th of July Parade. From left to right are: Michael Feinstein, Nat Trives, Ruth Goldway, Judy Abdo, Paul Rosenstein and Dennis Zane.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
Though diversity is a driving ethos of this year's event in Los Angeles, the art world is still deeply invested in sidelining people of color.
Artists who tell the truth are the mortal enemies of despots, who seek to distort the past, the present and the future.
Artists, activists and museum staff launched protests after learning that chemicals made by Warren Kanders’ company were used on migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The tangible effects of political concerns, ranging from mass displacement to climate change, are unavoidable at the 58th Venice Biennale.
"Then They Came For Me," a traveling exhibit, reminds viewers how easily history can repeat itself.
The Los Angeles art fair raises questions about the effect gentrification is having on artists and collectors.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.