"In the Garden of Light and Dreams"

Tolerance, created by Jaume Plensa, is comprised of a grouping of seven sculptures located in Buffalo Bayou Park at the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. The grouping was installed in 2011 to coincide with the construction of the Rosemont Bridge, which offers pedestrians and bicyclists a place to cross Buffalo Bayou safely. The seven human figures represent the seven continents. Each embodies the need for tolerance, openness, and understanding towards others’ cultures, social structures, values, and faiths, qualities essential among people existing in an interdependent world. The framework of each sculpture consists of alphabetic symbols from nine different languages around the world, reflecting Plensa’s belief that no matter the language we think in, our lives are similar. The seven sculptures rest on seven rough-cut granite pedestals, lit from within.