Memorial Bell

2001

Aluminum, Bronze, Stainless Steel

18’ x 8”

Dedicated in Washington DC in June 2001, Paul Matisse created an 18-foot long tubular bell as part of the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism, located on Washington’s National Mall.  The Memorial is firstly an apology for the 1942 executive order by President Roosevelt that resulted in the incarceration of persons of Japanese ancestry.  Secondly, it commemorates the courage and sense of duty of Japanese Americans who served in the US military during World War II.    The Memorial was designed by architect, Davis Buckley and commissioned by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation.

The aluminum bell is cradled in two bronze arms set high against curving granite slabs.  Visitors raise the bell hammer by pushing down on a bronze lever set in the railing.  When the hammer falls on the bell, it produces a deep, solemn tone which resonates in the Memorial for several minutes.