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May 3, 2002/Iyar 21, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 33
Patriotism set in plaster
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
This 1,500-pound representation of the American flag features plaster hand casts of every student and staff member at Sequoya Elementary School. The text reads "Hands Across Sequoya, One Nation Indivisible." From left are art teacher Edee Sands, videographer Michael Phillips and sculptor Jennifer Forman.
Photo courtesy of Michael Phillips
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Using 500 pounds of plaster, 950 pounds of pressboard and 50 pounds of mosaic hands, students at Sequoya Elementary School helped create a tribute to the victims and heroes of Sept. 11.
"One Nation Indivisible," an 11- by 20-foot American flag, features more than 800 plaster casts from the hands of every student and staff member at the Scottsdale school. The hands - painted red, white and blue - are glued to a red, white and blue background. Fifty of the hands, formed in peace signs and covered with 5,000 mirrored mosaic tiles, represent the stars.
The memorial was unveiled in an April 16 ceremony attended by Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross, Gov. Jane Dee Hull and Secretary of State Betsy Bayless.
The project began when sculptor Jennifer Forman, whose first-grade daughter attends the school, visited Sequoya art teacher and artist Edee Sands and volunteered to teach the children about sculpting. After Sept. 11, Forman got the idea for the project and the two decided to collaborate. Forman says her inspiration stemmed from valuing her freedom and wanting "to instill that in the young children... so as they grow up, they realize how truly lucky they are."
Sands developed the project into her curriculum and enlisted the help of many parent volunteers to help with the plastering and painting.
The project also gave the children an opportunity to talk about Sept. 11. "This was an avenue for them to vent (and) express themselves," Sands says. Each child wrote down what freedom meant to them and their statements were mounted and displayed along with the memorial.
The memorial will be on exhibit May 13-31 at the State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington. Forman plans to tour with the piece, and have government officials from each state sign a block of wood that she would affix to the memorial, until all 50 states are represented.
Michael Phillips, owner of Video Pros, a local video production company, filmed, produced and edited a documentary of the project, which includes interviews with Sequoya students discussing what freedom means to them. The cost is $15 videotape, $17 CD-ROM and $27 DVD. A portion of sales will go to the New York Disaster Relief Fund on Sept. 11, 2002. Call 602-274-7507.
For more information about the project, visit www.originalzbyjennifer.org.
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