Work honoring fallen soldiers displayed at library - 2008-11-24

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. – Artist Ellen Rogers has commemorated the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq by stitching a flag – not with thread, but with names.

Rogers marked Veterans Day by completing a public art performance at Paul Smith's College, during which she wrote the names of the 4,193 American military fatalities in the image of the American flag. She created the piece, called "Let Us Not Forget," over two days in the college's Joan Weill Adirondack Library. The work remains on display there.

While working on the project, several people approached Rogers to discuss the work, and their own experiences with the war.

"For those of us with no direct connection to the military, it is all too easy to forget about the ongoing war and the more than 4,190 U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq," Rogers said. "Writing the names of the fallen is my way of remembering and honoring our loss."

Photos of the work can be seen on her Web site, www.ellenrogers.com.

About the artist

Ellen Rogers is the artist-in-residence for the First Year Seminar at Paul Smith’s College. Before becoming a full-time artist, Rogers worked in Africa as a wildlife veterinarian helping to save lions, rhinos, and elephants. She was featured in the reality television series "The Great African Wildlife Rescue" and episodes of "Animal Face-Off." After retiring from her veterinary work, Rogers attended the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. Her artwork draws on experiences with animals, science, and travel.

Rogers grew up in Amesbury, Mass., received her bachelor's degree from Harvard College and her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Tufts University.
She lives in Paul Smiths, N.Y.

About the college

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.

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