Between 1994 & 1995, Lin Evola, founder and artist of the Peace Angels Project, created her original bronze Renaissance Peace Angel sculpture, which bears a plaque made of street weapons. In 1997, Evola loaned the sculpture to Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California.

Then, the unthinkable happened on September 11, 2001.

In response to the terrible disaster, Lin Evola believed there was no better place for the Peace Angel to stand than near Ground Zero in New York City. Therefore, she shipped the original 11’ Renaissance Peace Angel to New York City and placed it near the ashen site of the World Trade Center. In the days, weeks and months following the tragedy, rescue and recovery workers began writing personal inscriptions on the cement base of the Peace Angel. Their messages, their prayers, became embodied in the soul of the Peace Angel.

In 2013, the original Renaissance Peace Angel became part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. A ceremonial public opening of the Renaissance Peace Angel took place at the Museum on November 2, 2018. The following image shows the Museum’s inscription on the tribute panel that is located at the foot of the Peace Angel.

The Los Angeles Peace Angel Monument represents triumph over tragedy, and with its compelling presence, it commands attention to counterbalance today’s ubiquitous culture of violence. Our nation’s enduring yearning for peace is clearly evidenced by the 11-foot Renaissance Peace Angel that stood sentinel as a beacon of hope near Ground Zero just after the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001. This icon of peace is now part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. The Monument will absorb 1 million excess weapons. It will be 64-feet high by approximately 64-feet across, and will sit atop a 100-foot by 100-foot Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is to be fabricated primarily from gunmetal and will tell the story of the Los Angeles region. A wide-ranging narrative will chronicle significant historic events along a timeline.