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The Children's Holocaust Memorial was dedicated on November 12, 2006 to the 1,500,000 children who perished. It was inspired by a photograph from the Auschwitz Album and includes a contemporary girl who offers hope. Viewers can stand between her and the victims, linking the past and present to help internalize the commitment, "Never again."

Children's Holocaust Memorial
2006, Life Size, in Bronze
Temple Emanuel, Great Neck, NY

Monuments
by
Michael Alfano

All monuments are accessible for public viewing. See On Display for location details.
Inquire about monuments

In June 2007, a life-size sculpture of Daniel Weadock was unveiled at the International, a private club in Bolton, MA. Set on a golf course, next to a pond, it features Daniel, former owner of the club, and a grandchild feeding fish in the pond, while a fox watches. It was commissioned by Daniel's family and friends, who remember Daniel as extending a hand not just to wildlife, but to all of those around him. In the serene and beautiful setting, Daniel's family still surrounds him, represented by boulders positioned in the landscape.

Daniel Weadock, 2007
Bronze, Life Size
International Club, Bolton MA

This portrait sculpture honors Mother Clelia Merloni, who founded the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy in 1894. Commissioned by the order, it was unveiled on July 1, 2007 at the Provincial House's beautiful memorial garden in Hamden, CT. Michael also created a maquette (small-scale model of the sculpture) for their provinces around the world. See photos of the ceremony.

Mother Clelia Merloni, 2007
Bronze, Life Size

Stand Up, Speak Out was created with the support of Students Against Drunk Driving, MADD, and the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board. It received national attention due to its original placement at the Nassau County Courthouse. Defense lawyers contested that its presence could unfairly bias jurors in drunk driving cases. That certainly speaks to the power of art.

Stand Up, Speak Out, 1998
Bonded Bronze
10' x 7' x 5' (120% Life Size)
Nassau University Medical Center, NY
Photo by Bob Zucker

Peace Offering is a full size bench suitable for outdoor or indoor use. While the dove conveys the hope for peace, its tail transforms into a hawk, representing hostility. The dove's wings become open hands, which might be ours, in an asking, a weighing, or an offering pose. Or they might belong to a larger force that welcomes two people to sit down and discuss their differences. This sculpture represents some of the many aspects of attaining peace. It is a expression of Michael's Soka Gakkai Buddhist practice, with the intention of contributing to peace and culture.

Peace Offering (Bench)
5'7" x 2'9" x 1'7"
Bronze, $25,000, Ltd. Ed. of 25
Resin, $6,000, Ltd. Ed. of 100
Price does not include shipping

September 11th Memorial
Bonded bronze and granite
6.5' x 2.5' x 2.5'

The Town of Norfolk, Massachusetts commissioned Michael to create a sculpture memorializing the events of September 11, 2001. On 9/11 in 2003, the bonded bronze and granite monument was dedicated at a ceremony on the town common.

Its shape implies that of the World Trade Center towers. Thrirteen figures atop the tower surround and support a globe, symbolizing that peace requires people from around the world to draw together. The sculpture rests on a five-sided base, representing the Pentagon, and the number 93 inscribed on the firefighter's hat alludes to the flight number of the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

In 2006, the Clifton, NJ Arts Center permanently installed the memorial.

Small-scale model available for purchase.
More photos of the ceremony and the sculpture...

In the Holocaust Monument, the man points to a brighter future. The woman looks back in horror, portraying the lost past. Leading them, the child pulls the woman from the past to the future.

Holocaust Monument, 2001
Bronze, 7' x 6' x 6'
(120% Life Size)
Jericho Jewish Center, NY

Hands of God
6" x 3.5" x 3.5"
Hydrostone

When designing a monument, Michael creates multiple maquettes. This is one model for theHolocaust Monument. The reverse side includes a Star of David inscribed with the Hebrew for "Remember".

Ethics of Peace was created with a fellowship from the Newington Cropsey Academy. I had to distill the peace issue into a single, comprehensible image, converting complex verbiage into the wholly visual medium of sculpture.

In the title, ethics means the study of ideal conduct. To that end, the sculpture tries to provide a model for the ideal conduct that will help individuals live in peace, that is, live in harmony with other people and nations. But equally important is peace with oneself.

As depicted in the sculpture, the central figure seeks inner peace by questioning, by living non-judgementally, and by having the courage to make the hard changes necessary to attain the innocence of children. Since the problem of violence is man-made, the solution must also be man-made.

Ethics of Peace, 2000
Bronze, 3' x 3' x 3'
(1/2 Life Size)
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

Walt Whitman, 1996
Cast Stone
3.5' x 3' x 2.5'
(3/4 Life Size)
East Meadow Library, NY
Near West Hills, NY,
the Poet's Birthplace

On May 23, 2006, the Sculpture of Hope and the Garden of Awareness were dedicated. (The bronze figures were unveiled in December 2001 and displayed in Nold Hall until 2006.) This memorial was commissioned by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Long Island Chapter. Framing the sculpture is a 75-foot long Wall of Remembrance, built with bricks bearing the names of victims. An area of the wall symbolically broken by a drunk-driven car is being repaired by two figures who represent every person determined to rebuild broken lives and transform the anguish into meaningful change.

Sculpture of Hope, 2006; Bronze, Life Size; Farmingdale State College, NY

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