Day: March 22, 2022

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Pritzker Military Museum & Library Announces Selected Design in International Design Competition for the Cold War Veterans Memorial

“Orbits” by Oyler Wu Collaborative Selected for Cold War Veterans Memorial in Somers, Wisconsin

Somers, Wisconsin, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Contact: 

Erika Davis

Senior Communications Associate

erika.davis@tawani.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pritzker Military Museum & Library Announces Selected Design in

International Design Competition for the Cold War Veterans Memorial

“Orbits” by Oyler Wu Collaborative Selected for Cold War Veterans Memorial in Somers, Wisconsin

SOMERS, WI (March 22, 2022) – In April 2021, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, located in Chicago, launched an international competition for the new Cold War Veterans Memorial to be built in Somers, Wisconsin, as a part of the Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center (PAMPC) project. After reviewing an impressive number of inspiring design concepts, Orbits has been selected as the final design of the competition.

Orbits is designed by Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler of Oyler Wu Collaborative in Los Angeles, California. From its formal structure to its shaped surroundings, the memorial emerges from the ground to become an architectural tribute to Cold War veterans, embodying the dedication, optimism, and hope that is emblematic of their enduring spirit. Collectively, the memorial unifies these complex narratives through juxtaposition, recognizing its interconnected history – one of sacrifice, triumph, and innovation.

“Each submitted design was remarkable and very inspiring. The final decision was tough, but after much discussion, we believe that the Orbits design will truly resemble a place where everyone who contributed to the Cold War will be honored. This memorial is special and very dear to many because people who sacrificed during this era are not recognized enough. Our goal is to make sure that our gratitude to these individuals is signified through this project,” said Col. Jennifer Pritzker, Founder of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

The Design Competition was a two-stage juried process. Stage 1 was an open call to submit design concepts for the memorial. In Stage 2, the finalists evolved their concepts for the memorial to create fully defined designs. The design challenge was to provide a conceptual design for the Cold War Veterans Memorial that embraces the mission statement, exemplifies the guiding vision, and achieves the design goals authored by the Cold War Veterans Memorial Steering Committee. The finalists rose to the challenge and submitted designs that showed their passionate exploration of how to portray the scale and complexity of the Cold War for current and future generations.

As Dwyan Oyler and Jenny Wu stated in their submittal, “In recognition of the profound complexity of the Cold War, our design draws from a range of meaningful artifacts and imagery from the era to create an immersive experience — evoking a range of cultural associations organized as a set of circular ‘orbits’ through the landscape.”

The Cold War Veterans Memorial’s guiding vision is to create permanent recognition that stimulates ongoing thought and study that honors American military members and civilians who served and sacrificed during the Cold War era (1945-1991). In line with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission, the Cold War Veterans Memorial aims to increase the public understanding of military history and how its lessons have contributed to the history we create today.

“We are extremely honored to have received so many submissions from such talented national and international designers and seen the professional skill the finalists brought to the second stage,” said Susan Rifkin, Pritzker Military Museum & Library Interim CEO.  “We are really looking forward to working with Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler to create a memorial that honors the lives and legacies of those who served and helped during the Cold War.”

The concept Orbits by Oyler Wu Collaborative received the unanimous recommendation of the jury as the selected design and the design team. In their summary report, the Jury said the imagery of this concept invites discovery, the setting is respectful of the site, and a variety of paths and experiences can be explored and provide a palette for interpretation.

All information on the design competition can be found at coldwarveteransmemorial.org.

Please view the design submission by Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler of Oyler Wu Collaborative in Los Angeles, California, here.

Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center

The PAMPC was created out of a need for additional space to house some of the circulating book collection and the archival collections of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and will be completed in phases over an estimated ten years.

The first phase of the PAMPC project will include the Pritzker Military Archives Center to house the collections and provide workspace for the continued curation for future exhibits; Commercial Archives based on demand where private collectors, public institutions, and others may store their archives; a facility specializing in firearms education and training; a Community Green Space expertly landscaped with walking and biking paths; and the Cold War Veterans Memorial.

About the Cold War Veterans Memorial

In line with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission, the Cold War Veterans Memorial aims to increase the public understanding of military history. It will be a lasting tribute to the courage and tenacity found in the U.S. Armed Forces and civilian personnel who faithfully and honorably served during the Cold War era, September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991. The Memorial will be a publicly accessible display where citizens can honor, reflect, and learn about the bravery and sacrifice displayed to further our country’s freedom. To learn more, visit www.coldwarveteransmemorial.org.

About Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center 

Located in Somers, Wisconsin, The Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center supports the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission of preserving the past, present, and future of the citizen soldier. This project has various components, the first being the Pritzker Archives Center, a state-of-the-art archive space to restore, preserve, and provide storage for the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s collections that include books, artifacts, and other historical materials. Other components of the project include a Commercial Archives Center, a firearms education center, the Cold War Veterans Memorial, and community green space. To learn more, visit www.pritzkerarchivespark.com.

About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library aims to increase the public’s understanding of military history, military affairs, and national security by providing a forum for the study and exploration of our military – past, present, and future – with a specific focus on their stories, sacrifices, and values. With national and global reach, these spaces and events aim to share the stories of those who served and their contributions as citizen soldiers, helping citizens everywhere appreciate the relationship between the armed forces and the civilians whose freedoms they protect. A non-governmental, non-partisan organization, the Museum & Library features diverse collections, scholarly initiatives, and public programs from its flagship center in downtown Chicago to its world-class research center and park currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.

Erika Davis
Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center 
erika.davis@tawani.net
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Somaliland Upbeat Despite Lack of US Recognition

WASHINGTON — The president of Somaliland is wrapping up a U.S. visit without the formal recognition he had sought for the self-declared republic. But he nonetheless is viewing his trip as a success.

“The most important thing to us which we discuss with people is recognition” as an independent sovereign nation and not as part of Somalia, Muse Bihi Abdi told VOA’s Somali Service in an interview Saturday.

He arrived March 13 for a series of meetings to court support from U.S. government officials, U.N. personnel, think tanks and civil society leaders. He plans to return to Somaliland later this week.

While the U.S. State Department emphasized the Biden administration’s commitment to a unified Somalia, it also held out the possibility of stronger ties with Somaliland.

“Welcomed the opportunity to meet … and discuss strengthening U.S. engagement with Somaliland within the framework of our single Somalia policy,” the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs tweeted March 14 after Bihi met with its assistant secretary, Molly Phee.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ranking member, Republican Jim Risch of Idaho, responded by tweeting that the United States “should not limit ourselves to a ‘single #Somalia’ policy.” He added that the administration “should explore ALL areas of engagement in the region.”

Risch and two fellow committee members – Republican Mike Rounds and Democrat Chris Van Hollen – introduced a bill last week that would require the State Department to report to Congress on its engagement with Somaliland and would authorize a study on the feasibility of establishing a direct U.S.-Somaliland partnership.

Bihi – who was welcomed at a bipartisan congressional reception Thursday – has invited the United States to establish a diplomatic presence in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa.

Somaliland projects itself as a comparatively calm and stable partner in the tempestuous Horn of Africa region, where Somalia has been battling al-Shabab militants for more than a decade and neighboring Ethiopia has been caught up in civil war since November 2020.

The breakaway state also is strategically located on the Gulf of Aden, near Djibouti — home to the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa and the first overseas base for China — the Heritage Foundation pointed out in introducing Bihi’s keynote address last week at the conservative think tank’s Washington offices.

Talks have faltered

Somaliland in 1991 declared its independence from Somalia, which views it as a northern breakaway region, not a separate nation. The two sides have held repeated rounds of talks, most recently in June 2020 in Djibouti, when they agreed to appoint technical committees to continue discussions. No meetings have taken place since then.

Bihi blames the stalemate on the Mogadishu government, saying it doesn’t want to negotiate with Somaliland.

“Despite nine rounds of talks … the status of Somaliland never materialized,” he said in his Heritage Foundation remarks.

Somaliland sees “no future in the continuation of that dialogue with Somalia and is prepared to pursue all available avenues for its international recognition,” Bihi continued. “Somaliland believes that the international community has a moral obligation to support Somaliland’s pursuit of international recognition.”

But he noted in his interview with VOA, the United States “stood where other governments and Europe stand, which is ‘this issue is for Africa'” to determine.

The African Union has not recognized Somaliland as a sovereign and independent nation, nor has any individual country.

Somali’s presidential palace, the ministry of foreign affairs and the information minister did not respond to VOA’s requests for comment on Somaliland.

But last June 26, three decades after Somaliland gained independence from Britain, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed expressed hope for a unified country.

“I ask Allah to realize our dream, which is the return of our unity,” said Mohamed, widely known as Farmaajo. “The people in the North and South need each other. Let us come back to each other and leave out minor interests.”

Relations with Taiwan

Speaking with VOA, Bihi compared Somaliland’s status with that of Taiwan, an East Asian self-governing island that China has considered part of its territory since the Communist takeover in 1949.

“Taiwan and us: We have the same cause. We are two countries that are not recognized,” Bihi said.

Somaliland’s leader said the Taiwanese “are developed economically, successful in education. We need to learn from their experiences on how they maneuvered.”

Somaliland and Taiwan established diplomatic relations in July 2020. At the time, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said of the agreement to establish good relations: “We’re thousands of miles apart but share a deep-seated love of freedom & democracy.”

Somalia and China, which has veto power on the U.N. Security Council, condemned the move.

But Bihi said Somaliland-Taiwanese ties were not meant to antagonize any other government.

China has “no right to get angry,” he said. “We are an independent country, and we can establish relations with anyone we want.

“We are ready to have good relations with China,” Bihi said of Somaliland. “China needs us, we need them. We would like to have good relations. We don’t harbor ill will toward them, and we hope it’s the same on their side.”

Source: Voice of America

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