Katherine Scott | Awareness of Our Freedoms

An awareness campaign to remember and recognize the sacrifices made by military personnel for our independence.

The images consist of a silhouette of the Fallen Soldier Battlefield Cross superimposed over the names of those lost in combat in each year of Operation Iraqi Freedom, starting in 2003 along with numerous quotes from family, friends and acquaintances of those who were killed in action.

Above these images is a large image consisting of numerous quotes from family, friends and acquaintances of those who were killed in action. The quotes are superimposed over an image of an honor guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

With the recent death of my friend, Cpl. Ryan Casey McGhee, I have become very aware of those serving in our military. During those days of mourning and memorials for Ryan in the spring of 2009, I often heard comments such as, “It is hard to believe there is still a war going on.” I also found it hard to believe until reality set in and realized that we take for granted the presence of others far too often.

In order to address my feelings for those serving and who have served and sacrificed, I created a memorial installation in hopes to reach viewers at a more personal level. I find that the only way to really relate and connect to others is through personal interactions and expression of feelings. We all interact with someone on a daily basis whether it is a family member, friend or co-worker. We build relationships with those people. Over time, subconsciously, we assume that those we interact with on a daily basis will be there in the days to come.

It is my hope that through these works that portray some of the thoughts, memories and personal past times of those lost to war, that we will have a better appreciation for those deployed to places where most would or could not go.