|
Tucson
lives, at least in the eyes of the citizens of
Almaty
,
Kazakhstan
. A Sister Cities connection was created in
1987, linking these two cities together in programs related to education,
culture and economic development. In the
ensuing years, these programs have produced enormous, measurable results. From the 40-plus students that came to the
University
of
Arizona
under the
Kazakhstan
national program Bolashak to the 26 people that came
to
Tucson
with the Isker Boys Chorus to the 10-day visit of Sazgen, a Kazakh
folk music group, we in
Tucson
have benefited
from this connection in
Central Asia
. Our 24-year history was highlighted this past
week, when four Tucsonans traveled to Almaty to
attend the dedication of a bronze piece funded by the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee, created by
Tucson
sculptor
Mark
Rossi
and shipped to Almaty in November of 2010. |
In the picture: United States Ambassador
John
Ordway
, Tucson-Almaty Committee Chairman
Jerry
Gary
and
Akhmetzhan
Yesimov
, Akim (Mayor) of
Almaty
City
.
|
The dedication was set to coincide with the
celebration of the birthday of Almaty, and WOW, what
a celebration. Our
Tucson
travelers, Barbara Chinworth and Jerry and Sally Gary
of the
Tucson
-Almaty Sister Cities Committee and David Hoyt Johnson of
the Tucson-Pima Arts Council received royal treatment from the Almaty city officials and citizens. The bronze piece was officially dedicated at
1 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2011 in a ceremony attended by the Akim (Mayor) of Almaty and United
States Ambassador to
Kazakhstan
,
John Ordway. Although it was raining
briskly at the time of dedication, hordes Almaty citizens turned out, along with numerous members of the press corps. The
Tucson
bronze shares space on the Kok tobe with a famous bronze of the Beatles by sculptor Eduard Kazaryan*,
installed there in 2007.
Our
Tucson
travelers were the guests of honor at the Apple Fest on Sunday, September 18th.
In a whirlwind
round of meetings with Almaty officials, the commitment
to reciprocate with an appropriate gift for the city of
Tucson
was pretty much unanimous. They will make every effort to have a bronze
piece in
Tucson
to coincide with its birthday celebration in August of 2012.
|
*Eduard Kazaryan presently lives and works in Almaty , Kazakhstan . His bronze sculptures, drawings and wall reliefs are a blend of his cultural environment, which are modeled by his won unique form and style. His work is provocative and fresh, It has a certain immediacy that is natural and does not appear to be controlled. He has been widely exhibited in Russia , Germany , France , and Belgium . Mr. Kazaryan is considered one of the top ten artists in Kazakhstan .
|
 |
