Dr. Brent Glass, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History recently blew my mind by showing me a Russian sculpture meant to teach children morality lessons about human vices. “Children are the Victims of Adult Vices” was created by Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin and is located near the Kremlin in Moscow. Chemiakin said that, “[The sculpture] … was conceived and carried out by me as a symbol and a call to fight for the salvation of present and future generations.”
Dr. Glass asked me to think about this Russian sculpture and how it relates to an American sculpture that was also designed for children…the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield, MA. “A comparison of the two works would be an interesting way to look at national culture,” Dr. Glass said. What are your thoughts?
