Existing comment:
The Competition:
52 Proposals
A memorial's sponsor has seven years to identify a site, select a design, and secure a building permit. In October 2009, three years into this window, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Tourism launched an international design competition. Guidelines, released in Ukrainian, included a reminder that the use of dominant religious symbols violated US anti-discrimination laws. By December, with President Yushchenko certain to lose re-election in January, a jury selected five finalists from 52 submissions.
After the election and resulting delays, diaspora activists pressured the Ukrainian government to resurrect the project. The Embassy hired Hartman-Cox Architects to vet the finalists with the Commission on Fine Arts, DC Historic Preservation Office, National Capital Planning Commission, and National Park Service. After an initial round of comments and design changes, Larysa Kurylas's submission was selected. |