On Sunday, October 8 in Cleveland, Ohio, the Latvian Cultural Garden was inaugurated. As the most recent garden added to the Cleveland Cultural Garden Collection, the Latvian Garden’s focal point is a granite sculpture designed by Latvian artist Girts Burvis, who was present at the inauguration. Agnese Kalnina, First Secretary of the Embassy of Latvia in Washington, DC also attended the ceremony. The inauguration included Latvian folk dancing and a girls’ singing ensemble performance. Attendees sprinkled soil from Latvia in the garden. Under the guidance of the Cleveland Latvian Association, the Latvian garden was created to stand alongside the other countries as a tribute to the Latvians who settled in Cleveland. The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, which lie in Rockefeller Park on a 254-acre setting extending along East Blvd. & Martin Luther King Blvd. in Cleveland's University Circle area, are a unique collection of landscaped, themed gardens, each representing a different ethnic group of Cleveland. The gardens evolved during the early 1900s as a garden chain representing various world cultures. The Latvian Garden is the second new garden added in the past 20 years to this Cleveland landmark. Sculptor Girts Burvis graduated from the Latvian Academy of Art in painting and sculpture in 1987 and is president of Latvia’s Sculptor’s Centre. His works are found in collections in Germany, Denmark, the US and numerous locations in Latvia. This particular sculpture was created in Latvia and, upon completion, shipped to Cleveland. The open silhouette in the granite sculpture depicts a symbol of Latvian folk art. Being made of granite, the silhouette draws together that part of the nation which has found a new homeland in Cleveland, as well as that part which is in its homeland of Latvia. The garden design is completed by a granite bench, a sculpture reminiscent of a boat – symbolizing the many rivers and lakes of Latvia, as well as the Baltic Sea. The garden was designed by landscape architect Albert Park of “The Outsidein,” assisted by local architect Kalvis Kampe. The cost of the Latvian Garden is approximately $70,000, contributed by individuals and Latvian organizations.