A flock of 1,000 paper cranes is making a stop at the West Allis City Hall Art Gallery as part of a yearlong journey through local businesses and civic spaces. The installation, titled “A Thousand Cranes. One Community.,” includes the gallery as an October stop.
According to the City of West Allis, the mobile sculpture was displayed at various places around town over the past year. The project drew support from a wide range of local partners, including American Science & Surplus, Ope! Brewing Co., MAC Costumes, Inspiration Studios, the West Allis Public Library, the West Allis Senior Center, and the West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation & Community Services Department.
The project traces back to ENGAGE West Allis, a municipal leadership program the city runs to train residents and business owners in civic engagement, according to background from the City of West Allis. Alumni of that program developed the crane installation as a way to translate civic training into a hands-on, citywide art effort.
A Tribute Woven Into Every Fold
The mobile art piece included a September stop at American Science & Surplus, according to the city's account.
The project is rooted in Senbazuru, the Japanese tradition holding that folding 1,000 origami cranes grants a wish for health, longevity, and peace, a custom popularized worldwide following World War II by Hiroshima survivor Sadako Sasaki, per Japan Experience. The practice can also involve shared projects, which fits the West Allis project's origins as both a memorial and a civic exercise.
To collect the full 1,000 cranes, the city hosted free public folding workshops at the West Allis Public Library, the West Allis Senior Center, and Ope! Brewing Co., with materials and instructions supplied for residents of all skill levels. The broader effort brought the sculpture together.
A Yearlong Rotation
Designed as a rotating 12-month exhibition, the installation moved among local businesses and community spaces over the year. Host venues included libraries, a senior center, a brewery, a recreation center, a costume business, an art studio, and American Science & Surplus, giving residents across the city a chance to encounter the flock close to home.
Residents took part in folding the cranes for the ENGAGE West Allis project, bringing the sculpture together.
Landing at City Hall
The City Hall Art Gallery is one of the stops on the installation's rotating schedule.
The crane project reflects how grassroots art can support civic participation.
The West Allis cranes are not the only local example of the motif's resonance in the region. Artists from neighboring St. Francis, Wisconsin, created a 15-by-27-foot origami crane sculpture over the previous year, with final pieces completed on August 21, also inspired by Sadako Sasaki's story, for the Burning Man festival, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the St. Francis origami crane sculpture.
American Science & Surplus was one of the crane project's venues and served as its September stop. The project's presence there is one part of a broader community effort finding a place in West Allis.
