ROGERS PARK — The same Buddha-head sculptures that were installed in neighborhoods throughout Chicago to promote peace and tranquility can now be yours to own — for $2,000.
Ten Thousand Ripples began selling the sculptures online in an effort to recoup some of the cost of manufacturing the statues and to continue the project in the city, said project organizer Claire Sutton.
So far, she said, the group has sold a handful of the Buddha heads.
A mini version — at 8½ inches tall — is also available for $500.
"Since it is a nonprofit organization, we are trying to raise money to continue the program and pay for the sculptures," Sutton said.
The sculptures are manufactured at Orlandi Statuary in Logan Square using a mold created by artist Indira Johnson and can be shipped anywhere.
Johnson's vision was to place the statues in neighborhoods around Chicago, especially in areas known for violent crime and gangs, to spark discussions about peace.
One hundred heads have been installed in nine Chicago neighborhoods — Albany Park, Pilsen, Rogers Park, South Chicago, Uptown, North Lawndale, Little Village, Auburn Gresham and Back of the Yards — and in Evanston. Each community has 10 of the statues.
Sutton said five of the sculptures would remain in each community while the others will be featured in an exhibition at the Loyola University Museum of Art, 820 N. Michigan Ave., beginning July 20.
The custom-made Buddha statues can be ordered online.
