If you are heading through Royal Oak along Woodward it is going to be very hard to miss the 25-foot sculpture next to the Royal Oak Fire Department on 13 Mile Road.
The sculpture of a Navy Sailor kissing a nurse is titled Embracing Peace was created by New Jersey artist Seward Johnson Atelier. The sculpture depicts the now famous photograph taken by photographers Alfred Einsenstaedt and Victor Jorgensen on VJ (Victory over Japan) Day on August 14, 1945.
Embracing Peace was officially installed on June 20, with the final touch ups still being completed. There are four iterations of the giant statue around the country, with the others in Sarasota, Florida; San Diego; and Normandy, France. And as you can see, it’s quite large at 25 feet tall.
The piece is already getting attention, while I was taking photos there were people stopping by the park to take pictures.
Embracing Peace will call Royal Oak home for the remainder of 2016 as a way to bring attention to the fundraising campaign to raise $3,000,000 for a Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial.
The memorial will honor those who fought in World War II as well as those who helped on the home front by building airplanes, rationing food, and growing victory gardens just to name a few things.
You can find out more information about the fundraiser on The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial website.