LET’S MAKE A MAP!

BOULDER PEACE GARDEN HISTORY

In 1988 Joseph Vigil, a second-year design student of CU Boulder at the time, entered a competition to design a garden as part of Boulder’s Sister City program. The garden would serve as a symbol of peace and friendship between Boulder and Dushanbe, Tajikistan – who gifted to us the Dushanbe Boulder Tea House here in Boulder, Colorado.

It’s a funny story about how Joseph came to win the competition (to give you a prelude, he wrote a blog a few years back titled “My Story of NOT Winning A Design Competition“). Yet his design of the International Peace Garden – dedicated on October 6, 1990 – remains in place today. Fast forward 30 years later, WORKSHOP8 was invited to contribute to the park yet again. Talk about full circle!

JOSEPH VIGIL WITH ORIGINAL DRAWINGS OF THE PEACE GARDEN, CIRCA 1988

THE INFINITE WALK OF PEACE

In 2019, the Boulder Rotary Club in partnership with the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation undertook an enhancement of the Civic Area and the International Peace Garden and created the Infinite Walk of Peace. They had a rough concept for a map that they wanted to install in the park, and reached out to W8 to help them refine it. Under the Creative Direction of Brandy LeMae, I was excited to put on my graphic design hat and get started!

GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION PROVIDED BY BOULDER ROTARY CLUB

The Infinite Walk of Peace invites visitors to move along the path and contemplate how peace can bring communities together. Sit on the steps of the International Peace Garden and let your gaze rest on the flowing water of the Boulder Creek. Take a moment to reflect on the inspiring words of peace engraved in the stones around you. Get lost admiring a grand sculpture and pillar recognizing peace leaders in our community. Then, spend time under a cherry tree, planted as a symbol of good fortune, new beginnings, and revival. At stops along the way, guests can scan a QR code to learn more about each component. 

MY DESIGN FOR THE NEW MAP – STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

The map will be printed on a metal stanchion, which will be fabricated and installed by Husky Creative Signs.

ABOUT BOULDER’S SISTER CITY PROGRAM

Boulder has a long-standing Sister City program, with seven sister cities around the globe. One of these sister cities, and the most intimate connection of the seven, is Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This connection was forged during the height of the Cold War to foster peace and establish a friendship between the two cities as representatives of the two nations of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The relationship has withstood the tests of time, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and civil war. We (the City of Boulder) and Dushanbe have had many trades and other events between the two of us, including most notably the Dushanbe Tea House in 1987. Our other sister cities include: Jalapa, Nicaragua; Kathmandu, Nepal; Kisumu, Kenya; Lhasa, Tibet; Mante, Mexico; Nablus, Palestine; Ramat HaNegev, Israel; Yamagata, Japan; and Yateras, Cuba.

Thanks for reading!