Artist Statement
The bicentennial observance of the Louisiana Purchase is a celebration of how we became who were are today and who we will become in our future. To depict this requires a vision filled with optimism. The dove symbolizes this optimism that we can rise above our physical and emotional constraints and see what grows larger there. Before us is a great land, only made so by the people who chose to share their lives within its boundaries, who believed in the ideal that a culture would dawn bright and strong. This promise of the future transcends national and political borders and embraces all who come to live, to share, to contribute to this diverse place we call home.
L.J.C. Shimoda, artist
