BIRD OF HOPE FOR PEACE HAS LANDED IN MILWAUKEE
I am happy to share that the journey of my Bird of Hope for Peace continues.
After spending nearly six months in New York City, the Bird has crossed another distance and is now on view in the Rotunda of Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, from October 1–14, 2026.
The Bird has been given a particularly meaningful place in the Rotunda, beside the memorial bearing the names of Milwaukee servicemen during World War I. In this setting, its message of hope, compassion, and peace acquires an additional resonance — connecting remembrance of the human cost of war with a collective gesture directed toward peace.
A Bird of Peace, A Message of Hope
Gliding in the plane above, … I think to myself and hope that it won’t be so : “….Bird of Hope, Bird of Hope, ....Flying high.. Flying high..so high that you just might one day disappear through the sky....”
I hope it remains with us. Kindly invited to watch the short video here: https://vimeo.com/1234655714?fl=pl&fe=cm
Art has a beautiful way of bringing people together, connecting cultures, and reminding us of what we share.
The presentation at Milwaukee City Hall brought together representatives of Milwaukee and Slovenia, including Consul General Suzana Češarek, as we celebrated this new chapter in the journey of Bird of Hope for Peace.
During the gathering, Dr. Paul F. Trebian, President and CEO of the International Institute of Wisconsin, spoke about the importance of cultural exchange and presented me with the IIW 2026 Preservation of Cultural Heritage Award in recognition and support of the project.
Behind this Bird are hundreds of hands.
Around 500 lacemakers from 11 countries responded to the project, creating nearly 1,000 handmade lace Roses of Hope. I brought these individual gestures together into one collective body — a bird carrying a message of hope, compassion, and peace.
From Idrija to New York and now Milwaukee, the work continues to travel, gathering new places, histories, and communities into its story.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has made this new chapter possible: the Milwaukee Slovenian Arts Council, in conjunction with the Municipality of Idrija, with support from the International Institute of Wisconsin, the Ermenc Slovenian Arts Fund at the UWM Foundation, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.
My special thanks go to Rob Frank for his extraordinary engagement and care, to Jeff Martinka and the Milwaukee Slovenian Arts Council, and to the City of Milwaukee for welcoming Bird of Hope for Peace into such a meaningful civic and commemorative space.
Thanks also to Evan Frank for photo documenting the event.
And above all, thank you to everyone who made a Rose of Hope:
your lace is travelling the world.
Copyright © Eva Petrič, 2026 , All rights reserved.
