Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
REMEMBERING 9/11 — Houlton artist Desiree Abbott created this glass etching recounting the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City as a tribute to those first responders who lost their lives. Today marks the 12th anniversary of the attacks.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — The events of Sept. 11, 2001 are etched in the memories of millions of people across the world.
Now, thanks to the efforts of Houlton artist Desiree Abbott, those memories are etched in glass so that the horrific events and the amazing recovery efforts will never be forgotten.
“I have a friend who is a firefighter in New York and he told me a lot about 9/11. He told me about the people who died and how he lost two of his friends while helping in the recovery. The story he told me, from his point of view, and the feelings he expressed really hit me. I wanted to do something for the men and women who helped us in our time in need, for they should be thanked every day for all the hard work they do and putting their lives on the line for us.”
An artist since middle school, Abbott graduated from Penquis Valley High School in Milo in 2007. She makes and sells her artwork online. She is currently looking for a position working in the art field to learn new things.
“Art runs in my family,” she said. “We can take something old make it new, and take something that doesn’t belong or looks like it could be clutter and make an entire yard an eco-friendly landscape just from the items laying around a house. My dad calls it a gift.
“I like art with a story behind it,” she continued. “Something that says we have been here … we have fought for it, and we are still standing to tell the story.”
The large glass etching took Abbott seven months to create. The artwork was hand drawn and etched with a dremel. She finished the piece in September 2012, with the intent of selling it to a specific individual. But when a personal tragedy hit that person, they were no longer able to purchase the piece from Abbott.
“The person I was doing it for lost his house in last summer’s storms and couldn’t buy it,” she explained. “So it sits in my closet. This year, I decided it shouldn’t sit in a closet and I thought that since I moved to Houlton I would try to sell it and donate half of the proceeds to the town.”
For more information on the piece, e-mail Abbott at desireee07@yahoo.com or phone 418-4188.
