In August of 2015, my wife and I took a long walk around Montréal with a Kodak Funsaver disposable camera. I attempted to take as many photos of monuments as time and a limited supply of film would allow. She tolerated my enthusiasm for commemorative architecture and basked in the francophonic charm of the old city.

Sixteen months later, I shuffle through the photo prints and wonder what Montréal's public art landscape might teach the États-Unis in the aftermath of the 2016 election.

How is it that greatest French-speaking city in Québec has managed to tolerate so many British monuments for so long? In a province that has made more than one attempt to establish it's sovereignty from Canada and the Crown, why do Queen Victoria and her war heroes still loom over the streets?  Is it threats from Buckingham Palace?  Canadian politeness? Inertia?

​I expect that the reason the British monuments remain standing varies on a case-by-case basis, but I honestly don't know.  I don't even know any Québecois to ask. (Claude Cormier, if you ever read this, I would love to chat.)  So I'll speculate. This is my blog.  I may wonder aloud in ignorance if I want:

My hope, is that their continued existence points to Montréalers' empathy for the diverse histories of their neighbors.  The city's public art scene is an eclectic one.  The first of the above photos commemorates a very large tree - in situ.  JFK and Cardinals and British Admirals and the Olympics all get a plinth and a plaque. Regardless of their present-day popularity, everybody gets a statue!  

As anti-Confederate grafftti spread across memorials in the US this year, I wondered about it's impact on the coming election.  ​It is an unsettling thing to see your heroes maligned.  It might be disturbing enough to make voting for a crazy person who "gets you" seem rational.  I worried that an attack on Southern identity through it's symbols would contribute to white paranoia on November 8th.  I can't say if it did, but Breitbart continues to feature stories on the graffiti, so I suspect as much.  ​

Post-election, the American Left's power to topple monuments has receded.  Liberals need a reboot. They should reconsider their approach to conservative public art as a part of this process.  Less than 40 miles north of the border, progressive Montreal seems to tolerate its outdated statues.  Perhaps this makes it both a more neighborly and more stable place.

On October 5th, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was dedicated near the National Mall.  I attended both out of personal interest and because I worked for the lead design firm on the project.* 

Dedication day was bright and breezy. Donors and sponsors spoke about service and sacrifice. They explained that soldiers are unsung heroes. The President shared similar sentiments. After the ceremony, the crowd explored the memorial and snapped photos: 

Fountain *click* - Flame *click* - Flag *click* 

Several of the veterans whose images were featured in the monument's walls posed to have their pictures taken with their pictures.  It was a bit surreal, but added an interesting new dimension to an already multi-layered memorial. 

Though the granite walls and fountain are both massive and crisply detailed, the monument's real emotional power is held in the glass walls of its memorial grove.  There, freestanding frosted glass panels bear the images of wounded soldiers as the shadows of bronze sculptures and ginkgo leaves slip through them.  At night, the moving lights of the city shine through and dance in the images. The effect is otheworldly. 

For me, there will always be another layer to this memorial. I know no disabled veterans.  I do, however, know the designers whose thoughts and effort gave this place its shape.  I have seen their concept models gathering dust in the office -  early ideas that evolved into the final form.  I felt their enthusiasm as they visited the site during construction. They projected a sense of wonder that - after years spent lobbying and designing - it was finally being built.  On dedication day, they were beaming.  A labor of love, complete.

I will visit this place for the rest of my life.  When I do, I will read the quotes and run my fingers through the fountain. Then, I will look down at those perfect joints in the granite pavers and remember the skill of the designers in whose company my career began. 

All images for this post were shot with a Fujifilm Quicksnap Flash 400 Single-Use Camera.