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Hyde Park—The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute has announced that it will unveil on November 3, 2006, an exciting new work of art based on the Four Freedoms by the noted kinetic sculptor, Henry Loustau. The sculpture will be placed on the grounds of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum before traveling to other locations. Commissioned by the Institute as a means to bring the meaning of the Four Freedoms to young people, the work captures the essence of the Four Freedoms and the meaning of American patriotism through the sculptor’s use of such familiar symbols as gold stars, bold stripes, and the incorporation of the colors red, white and blue. The work’s use of the number four, and its reference to a wheelchair and a sail set in constant motion by the wind, recall the inspiring and heroic nature of Franklin Roosevelt—a man, who, in spite of his own struggle with disability, lifted a paralyzed nation out of the despair of the Great Depression and led us to victory in the greatest conflict in history. The work will be unveiled by the artist in the company of trustees of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and FDR Library Director, Dr. Cynthia Koch, at a special ceremony at 4:00 pm in front of the Henry A. Wallace Center. A special “meet the artist” reception will follow the unveiling that will focus on young people and the often forgotten link between art and democracy. The importance of this link was perhaps best articulated by FDR, on the eve of the Second World War, when he said: “The arts cannot thrive except where men are free to be themselves and to be in charge of the discipline of their own energies and ardors. The conditions for democracy and for art are one and the same. What we call liberty in politics results in freedom in the arts. There can be no vitality in the works gathered in a museum unless there exists the right of spontaneous life in the society in which the arts are nourished.” We hope you will join us to celebrate this important new addition to the legacy of FDR and the Four Freedoms.
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