One of the most famous writings to emerge from World War I was John McCrae’s 1915 poem, “In Flanders Fields.” The poem references the fields of poppies that grew on war torn battlefields and is a poignant testament to the human cost of war. Since World War I, people around the world have used the poppy as a symbol of remembrance and sacrifice, as well as a powerful reminder of resilience and hope for the future. At the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, visitors walk across a glass bridge over a field of poppies. Each of the nine thousand poppies on display represents one thousand combatant deaths, a total of nine million dead.

In Flanders Fields

By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

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Ada Koch has been a visual artist/activist/teacher in KC for over 30 years. She shows and sells her mixed media paintings internationally. Notably, she has experience with public art installations. In 2018, she created a large 100 year anniversary metal sculpture at the National WWI Museum & Memorial. In 2020, her poppy paintings were featured on a KC Streetcar for the Art in the Loop program, and she has shown her work in numerous gallery shows recently in KC. Ada teaches at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and in Tucson. She actively promotes the local art scene by serving on numerous boards. Her activism work has been featured on live news, favorably reviewed in papers and magazines, discussed on panels at local radio stations and published in two books. Ada’s art is worldwide in notable collections including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Stowers Institute, JD Reece Company, and Overland Park City Hall. These newest mixed media pieces feature the poppies and the WWI Museum & Memorial because the poppy became a symbol of hope and rebirth after WWI from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.

For more information, see her website at www.adakoch.com.