LOS ANGELES — Colette Miller painted wings in Los Angeles. Lin Evola is sculpting them. 

The artist revealed her sketches for the Peace Angels Project. She is creating a 64 foot monument in Downtown Los Angeles, made out of melted weapons.

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“I am fundamentally a conceptual artist, I use drawing I use painting, I use sculptures, I use what we’re doing now to implement the Peace Angels project,” Evola said.

The project will include 12 smaller Peace Angel sculptures, as well as the main monument in Downtown Los Angeles. Her use of melted weapons paints a clear picture: transforming the pain of violence, into a statement of peace.

“I receive all my weapons through law enforcement, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department has worked with us for four generations, law enforcement agencies such as the NYPD, also we work with the biggest recycling companies on Earth, Sims Metal Management, SA Recycling, they’ve already, for over 10 years, destroyed the weapons of the Peace Angels Project,” she explained.

A key location where she plans to display one of her Peace Angels is at the Boyle Heights Tech Center, a neighborhood previously heavily impacted by gun violence. Her friend Joe Diaz, who works there, explained why this means so much.

“You’ve had young men who’ve lost their lives because of gun violence, violence overall. This angel, nothing could replace a life, but this would definitely add something to those memorable individuals that lost their lives,” Diaz said.

Evola hopes the angels will be a reminder to the community that peace is possible in Los Angeles. She see’s the sculptures as a symbol of protection. 

“The difference between most people isn’t whether they want peace or not, most people do, I’d say 97 percent just about. But how we get there is where people vehemently disagree. So I want her right hand up so she can give light, so she can show that she protects her children,” Evola emphasized.

She estimates the Peace Angels Project will take about four years for completion.