**New Sculpture at LA Arts to Commemorate Victims of 2023 Lewiston Shooting**
LEWISTON — A new sculpture, debuting in November at LA Arts, will honor the victims of the 2023 mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston. Titled *Forget ME Not*, the artwork incorporates various images and art mediums designed to express grief, loss, trauma, resilience, commemoration, and hope.
Centering on the lives lost on October 25, 2023, the sculpture also acknowledges those present during the tragedy and the families who continue to mourn. Artist Jen McDermott shared her hopes for the piece: “I’m hoping that they feel seen and that we respected their process of loss. 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.”
At the time of the shooting, McDermott was involved with the fine arts and cultural program at Bates College in Lewiston. The day after the tragedy, she reached out to Traci Molloy to invite her to campus as a visiting artist in the hopes of creating a community project to aid healing.
After Molloy agreed to assist, she emphasized the importance of involving mental health professionals to support contributors due to the freshness of the trauma. Consequently, two professional art therapy instructors were brought in to help those affected by the incident express themselves through art.
The project’s organizers engaged extensively with community organizations to ensure a diverse range of voices were included. Although progress slowed in the months following the shooting, efforts resumed about a year ago, leading to a partnership with LA Arts, which helped bridge the project to the wider community.
Initial funding came from a grant by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. Additional guidance and input were sought from groups like the Maine Resiliency Center, Tree Street Youth, Art Van, and Bridge to Belong, according to Courtney Reed-Marsh of LA Arts.
Two key contributors from Auburn, Justin Moriarty—a theater light design specialist—and community organizer Virginia Dearani also played significant roles in the project’s development.
### Sculpture Description and Symbolism
Rising nearly 12 feet tall, the round, roofed wooden sculpture features 18 panels, one dedicated to each individual who lost their life in the shooting. The exterior panels are draped with fabric washed in the Androscoggin River, fading from dark blue at the bottom to lighter hues at the top in an ombré effect symbolizing the depth and progression of grief.
The roof’s exterior is adorned with 96 mylar drawings made by members of the Lewiston and Auburn community, many contributed by local youth. These drawings depict people, animals, and elements loved in the community, offering a visual representation of hope.
Inside the structure, panels are painted in dark black-purple tones and embellished with 859 crocheted forget-me-not flowers. Each flower was painstakingly handmade by 15-year-old Zoe Catterton from southern Maine, with every flower representing one year of life for the victims. “Although they are similar in pattern, they’re still just a little bit different—just like every year that we live,” McDermott explained.
The ceiling inside the sculpture features three pathways leading toward the center, where the victims’ names are inscribed in gold. To honor victims who were members of the Deaf community, “I love you” in sign language is painted at the very center. Surrounding this symbol are individual star artworks created by survivors and families of those lost.
“Love is the center, love is the core for this piece,” Molloy said. “The ceiling is the grief, the ceiling is the stars, the ceiling is the cosmos—everything is surrounded by the tumultuous nighttime sky.”
What began as an initial concept has developed organically over two years, shaped by art therapy projects, grief workshops, and conversations with those impacted and community contributors. “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,” Reed-Marsh said. “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 highlighted how art serves as a powerful means for people to channel grief and strong emotions. “When people create art about someone they have lost, there’s a transference that happens, and that is so powerful,” she noted. “It’s not just going to be something they made; it’s going to be that person.”
Since grief evolves over time, the sculpture captures how people are processing their loss presently. With the anniversary of the shooting approaching, emotions remain raw for many.
### Exhibition Details
*Forget ME Not* will be on public display from November 7 through January 17, 2026, at LA Arts. Opening night hours are 6–9 p.m., featuring a brief speaking program starting at 7 p.m. LA Arts is open to visitors Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the opening, the sculpture is also available for viewing by private appointment outside of regular hours.
Courtney Reed-Marsh believes the sculpture richly illustrates grief and loss alongside life’s continuation. “There is beauty and hope in that process,” she said. “The structure represents these complex themes, which often cannot be separated from each other.”
Molloy invites the public to experience the sculpture as a communal creation—complex, nuanced, and open to multiple interpretations. “Whether it brings joy or connectivity, helps people feel less alone, or lets them know their lives and artwork matter,” she said.
Art offers a unique language when words fall short, especially after extraordinary trauma. “When you access this piece, you’re seeing a cacophony of people’s memories, experiences, love, loss, grief all together that you don’t understand in the same way if someone says, ‘This is what happened,’” Molloy explained.
“Art is its own language, and this piece provides something that is hard to access through words alone.”
—
For more information, visit LA Arts or contact the organizers to arrange a private viewing appointment.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/10/24/new-la-arts-sculpture-commemorates-those-lost-to-lewiston-mass-shooting/