The Peoria Park District is making progress on filling the prior home of a Christopher Columbus statue in Upper Laura Bradley Park with something new.
The statue was originally removed after a 4-2 park board vote in 2020. Now, after a series of meetings, public input and board discussions about what could potentially take its place, the board has directed staff to develop a project that recognizes the Native American history of the Peoria area.
At a meeting of the district Planning Committee Thursday morning, park board members, staff, Uplands residents and Native American members of the community gathered to get a clearer picture of what that project will be.
Jo Lakota, a Native American and member of the Lakota and Walla Walla tribes, introduced the idea that gathered momentum over the course of the meeting: a medicine wheel.
“It’s a very pan-Native type thing, used by all the tribes pretty much,” explained Lakota.
The National Park Service describes the medicine wheel as an “ancient and sacred symbol used by many tribes.” Though the designs can vary, the basic structure is a circle separated into four quarter portions, with each quarter bearing a different representative color.
The committee discussed a few different potential designs for the large wheel, including colored pavers, of brick or some other kind of stone, laid in a pattern where the Columbus statue used to stand. Additional design touches recommended include bench seating in a ring around the wheel, native plants and grasses, a wooden arbor to create a clear entrance into the wheel.
“They can transition from the busy world into a peaceful place through walking the medicine wheel,” said Lakota. “They can offer their wishes or prayers, however they want to, by hanging a prayer tie or that sort of thing.”
Committee Chair Laurie Covington, along with others in the meeting, also expressed a desire to include an educational component to the installation. The group agreed plaques sharing information about the many tribes that called the Peoria area home at some point could be appropriate. Some even suggested QR codes or additional links to online resources for more information.
Over the next two weeks, Lakota and Waylon McCamy of the Seven Circles Heritage Center in Edwards will be reaching out to tribal leaders around the country. Their goal is to get a better idea of what information and symbols could be used on the plaques.
Lakota says she’s excited about the potential of a piece of art in the park that not only speaks to her own heritage, but provides an opportunity for education and peace for anyone.
“Just to have everyone on the same page about, we all belong here,” she said. “And things were done that were not good, but let’s go forward. And let’s not cling to the symbols of those things that were horrible to others, to people.”
The park district has an approximately $25,000 maximum budget for the new art feature in Laura Bradley Park, though staff let the committee know that, after site preparation and other associated costs, the total project will be more than $100,000.
These plans are a rough concept and far from set in stone. The committee plans on reaching out to bronze sculptor Preston Jackson, who previously did work for the Cahokia Mounds Museum in Collinsville, to consult on the project. It may also eventually go to an RFP to find an appropriate artist.
The committee plans to meet again in two weeks, on Friday, Apr. 10, at Upper Laura Bradley Park.
