As was previously announced by Fundacion RESPETA BIDA….semper corda, which translated from Papiamento to the RESPECT LIFE….always remember Foundation, Aruba will soon have its very own statue to commemorate the life of Anne Frank, in the heart of the Wilhelmina Park.
As its first major project, the foundation commissioned Dutch artist Joep Coppens, who specializes in bronze works, to create the Anne Frank statue. The foundation chose Anne Frank as a commemorative symbol to always remember that a holocaust can happen again, if a community does not know how to co-exist peacefully.
The statue was made in Vlierden, a small town in the Netherlands, where the artist has his studio. The making of the statue took several months, as it consisted of seven main steps. The process used by Coppens to make bronze sculptures and statues today is the same one that was used in ancient times. Coppens worked off a smaller model, which shows Anne Frank barefoot and standing tall, with her hands bound and her head leaning back, looking towards the sky. He first had to make a positive statue, from which he could make negative molds of the head, torso and various ligaments. From these molds he was able to make hollow wax replicas, which were then covered in several layers of a ceramic shell and baked. Once ready, molten bronze heated to 2200 degrees was poured into the shells and allowed to cool. When the individual bronze pieces were ready, they were welded together to form the statue of Anne Frank.
The statue will be unveiled at sunset on June 12th, the anniversary of Anne Frank’s birthday. Coppens will be on hand to help with the unveiling. The entire community is also invited to come and participate in the ceremony.
RESPECT LIFE…always remember was founded to safeguard the rights of every member of society in Aruba, promote tolerance, solidarity, freedom and equality of every co-citizen, and fight specifically against practices of: racism, anti-semitism and xenophobia, which can rear their heads at any time.
The first board of directors of the foundation consists of: Mrs. Diana Gonzalez-Pieters as president and Mr. Jose Fernandes Perna, vice-president; Mrs. Martha Goldenberg-Lichtenstein as secretary and Mr. Frank Williams, second secretary, Mrs. Shereen de Cuba as treasurer.
Photos show the process behind the creation of the Anne Frank statue.
