LIVE from NYPL: War and Memory: Louis Nelson with William Kelly

The designer of the mural wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial discusses his memoir, MOSAIC, and the lasting impacts of the Korean War.

When Louis Nelson created the mural wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, he created the first memorial dedicated to the service of men and women in war—not to that of a leader or a president. In his new book, MOSAIC, Nelson examines the soldiers, stories, and sacrifices that helped shape his design. And he examines how the war affected both him and its veterans. Our need to remember, Nelson says, hooks us to the core of what happened, and prompts questions as to why. 

Louis Nelson speaks about the Korean War Veterans Memorial and his book MOSAIC, with William P. Kelly, The New York Public Library's Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries. 

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• The Power Broker, by Robert Caro — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare
• Sweet Judy Blue Eyes, by Judy Collins — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• The Hidden Dimension, by Edward T. Hall — NYPL Catalog
• Elements of Design, by Gail Greet Hannah — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• The Medusa and the Snail, by Lewis Thomas — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare

Louis Nelson is a visionary artist in diverse disciplines of strategic planning, storytelling, filmmaking, communications, graphics and industrial design. He has studied America's monuments and memorials for the last forty years and spent five years designing the mural at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, consulting with the sculptor and the creative team. He designed and produced the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal for the United Nations, and developed designs for the World War I and the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan and the Pentagon. A visiting lecturer at Harvard University, Pratt Institute, Stockholm's Konstfack University and Seoul's Mongik University, Nelson has been been honored by many significant design industry organizations in the country and abroad. He lives in New York with his wife, the noted singer, author and performer, Judy Collins.  

William P. Kelly is The New York Public Library's Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries, responsible for NYPL's four research centers and their 460 staff members. His purview includes collection strategy, acquisition, and preservation. His primary focus is expanding access to the world's most democratically available research collections. The Mellon Director is also a national voice on the direction of humanities research in general. Kelly began his tenure at NYPL in January 2016. Previously, he was interim chancellor of City University of New York, chairman of the Research Foundation of the City University of New York, and President of the CUNY Graduate Center. Kelly is a Trustee of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

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