**New Sculpture “Forget ME Not” to Commemorate Victims of 2023 Lewiston Mass Shooting**
A new sculpture debuting in November at LA Arts will commemorate the victims of the 2023 mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston.
Titled **“Forget ME Not,”** the sculpture incorporates imagery and various art mediums to convey themes of grief, loss, trauma, resilience, commemoration, and hope. It centers around the people who lost their lives on October 25, 2023, those who were present during the tragedy, and those who lost loved ones.
“I’m hoping that they feel seen and that we respected their process of loss,” said artist Jen McDermott. “That’s the big thing, that we are still talking about these people… it’s not something that’s tucked under the rug or walked away from. We really are pausing to just kind of let them know, we’re still thinking of them, seeing them.”
### Origins of the Project
At the time of the shooting, McDermott was working in the fine arts and cultural program at Bates College in Lewiston. On October 26, 2023, she reached out to Traci Molloy, inviting her to the campus as a visiting artist in hopes of building a project to help guide the community through its grief.
After Molloy agreed to assist in the as-yet-undefined project, she suggested bringing in mental health professionals for support, given how recent and raw the trauma was. Consequently, two professional art therapy instructors joined the initiative to help those affected express themselves through art.
The organizers spent considerable time reaching out to various community organizations to incorporate many voices into the project. Although progress slowed several months after the shooting, about a year ago the project began to take shape. At that time, a partnership with LA Arts was established, which helped build a bridge to the larger community, according to Molloy.
### Community Collaboration and Support
Initially funded by a grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, the project garnered input and support from several local organizations, including the Maine Resiliency Center, Tree Street Youth, Art Van, and Bridge to Belong, said Courtney Reed-Marsh of LA Arts.
Two other primary contributors are Auburn residents Justin Moriarty, a theater light designer, and his wife Virginia Dearani, who acted as a community organizer for the project.
### What the Sculpture Looks Like
The round, roofed, wood-framed sculpture stands nearly 12 feet tall and features 18 panels—one for each person who lost their life in the tragedy. The design is rich with symbolism.
– **Exterior:** Each panel is covered with fabric that has been washed in the Androscoggin River. The fabric’s color transitions from dark blue at the bottom to lighter blue at the top, creating an ombré effect that represents the depth and gravity of grief, as explained by McDermott.
– **Roof:** The outside roof displays 96 mylar drawings created by members of the Lewiston and Auburn communities, many by youth. These drawings depict people, animals, or things the community members love, symbolizing hope.
– **Interior:** Inside, the panels are painted in dark black and purple hues adorned with crocheted forget-me-not flowers. In total, there are 859 flowers, each representing a year lived by the victims. All flowers were handmade by 15-year-old Zoe Catterton of southern Maine.
McDermott reflected on the flowers: “Imagine you’re standing surrounded by all these forget-me-nots, each one a little bit different, just like every year we live is a little bit different.”
The inside ceiling features three pathways leading to the center, with the victims’ names written in gold along each path, Molloy said. Recognizing that some victims were members of the Deaf community, “I love you” in sign language is painted at the ceiling’s center. Surrounding this are individual art pieces resembling stars, each created by a survivor or someone who lost a loved one in the shooting.
“Love is the center, love is the core for this piece,” Molloy said. “The ceiling is the grief, the stars, the cosmos — everything is surrounded by the tumultuous nighttime sky.”
### A Collective Creative Process
What began as only an idea evolved over two years with every element of the sculpture inspired by art therapy projects, grief workshops, or conversations with people impacted by the shooting or wishing to contribute.
“There’s no way that all of these layers of meaning could have been superimposed from the thinking mind of any one or few individuals involved,” said Reed-Marsh. “They just organically emerge from the process into the work itself and then startle even those of us who are close to it.”
### Art as a Language of Grief
Molloy emphasized the powerful role of art in processing grief. “When people create art about someone they have lost, there’s a transference that happens — it’s not just something they made, it’s going to be that person.”
Grief changes over time, and the sculpture stands as a testament to how people are experiencing loss right now. As another anniversary of October 25 approaches, emotions remain raw for many.
“Art allows people to communicate in a way that does not rely on words,” Molloy said. “Sometimes people can’t find the words to express what they feel but can create an art piece to convey their emotions.”
“When you experience extraordinary trauma, like what happened here, words are not always sufficient,” she added. “The sculpture provides something hard to access through language because art is its own language.”
### Exhibition Details
The installation will be open to the public from **November 7, 2024, through January 17, 2026.** Opening night hours are 6–9 p.m., with a brief program of speakers starting at 7 p.m.
LA Arts is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the opening, the sculpture can also be viewed by private appointment outside regular hours.
Reed-Marsh believes the sculpture powerfully illustrates grief and loss, as well as how life continues afterward. “There is beauty and hope in that process, and the structure represents these complex themes that often cannot be separated.”
Molloy hopes the public will see the piece as a beautiful, complex, and nuanced creation made by the community. “Whether it brings joy, connectivity, or a feeling of not being alone, it’s a way for people to feel seen, that their lives and artwork matter.”
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This remarkable tribute invites the Lewiston and Auburn communities, and all visitors, to reflect on loss, resilience, and hope through a collaborative work of art that speaks beyond words.
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/10/24/new-la-arts-sculpture-commemorates-those-lost-to-lewiston-mass-shooting/
