Public's Help Sought for 9/11 Memorial Art Project

Over 100 people turned out Saturday morning to begin the process of recognizing the 343 Fire Department of New York emergency responders who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Saline Fire Department and the Art department of Saline Area Schools will honor the fallen fire fighters with an art memorial that will be displayed outside the firehouse as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

The title of the project is "Holding Heroes in Our Hearts — Never Forget 343."

Art Teachers Kevin McCown, Janice Martin and Laura Laatsch joined Fire Chief Craig Hoeft at the Saline Farmers market Saturday. McCown held a stack of papers with photos of each deceased firefighter, along with their name and rank.

“If you would write this name here,“ McCown said, instructing a Farmers Market shopper on how contribute to the art memorial.

Members of the Saline community have begun writing the names of all the firefighters on a 7-by-4 foot board. Tuesday, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Saline Community Fair, area children will be invited to place a red or blue hand print over each name. The end result will be the design of the American flag. The art teachers can be found in the Merchant's Barn at the fair.

“It has been a really interesting project,” Laatsch said. "We started working on the design in the spring, and had to have the right materials.” 

Because the mural will hang on the exterior wall of the Saline Fire Station each September, it needs to be weather proof. 

“I just got back from Chelsea Lumber, who recommended a varnish that is water proof, and ultra violet proof to keep the colors from fading,” she said.

For more information about the project, visit the Art Department's blog at http://salineschoolsartdepartment.blogspot.com.