Artists Registry
East Stroudsburg PA United States
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Artist's Statement
Statement of Work
On Sunday, October 11th my non profit organization Laura's Angels sponsored a display called "The Field of Angels" in Pike County, Pennsylvania. The display consisted of 3,000 hand-made angels one for each person lost on September 11, 2001.
This labor of love took 3 days to layout and put in the ground. The 6" foam board angels were attached to lines that ran 7 feet long from end to end. There were 30 rows of angels with 100 angels per rows. With less than 20 volunteers, it was a miracle that we were able to create the display. But God and our angels were with us and some how we were able to accomplish the task.
The idea of the "Field of Angels" was born because we did not want people to get complacent about how many lives were actually lost on September 11, 2001. We wanted people to realize just how big a number 3,000 is. And when you can't taken in 3,000 objects within your field of vision, then you not only realize how big that number really is, but how many individual lives were really lost that day. That is when it really hits home and that is the impact we wanted to make on the public.
We were fortunate enough to connect with a local artist; Kim Pearce from Matamoris, PA who so affected by the events of September 11th, that he created several pieces of artwork with themes that incorporated many images from that fateful day (donating all proceeds to help the 9-11 families). When we petitioned him to come to the see "The Field of Angels" and possibly create a piece of artwork for us, he did so with out hesitation; accepting no money for his brilliant work. The print is display on this website.
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About Laura's Angels:
Laura's Angels Non Profit Organization was formed in 2002 by the family and friends of Laura Marie Ragonese,who was lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The organization was formed to create a memorial in Northeastern, Pennsylvania to honor her and all the victims of the 9-11 attacks.
In the 7 years since its inception, Laura's Angels has not only achieved their goal of a permanent memorial, but has become a symbol of hope as, each year, hand-made angels adorn an 8 foot Blue Spruce Tree; the centerpiece of "The Laura's Angels September 11th Memorial Garden" in Dingmans Ferry, PA. The Founders of Laura's Angels are Maria Ragonese (Laura's sister in law/best friend), Michael Ragonese (Laura's oldest brother) and Diane DeWitt (a close family friend). Each year, our angels are made by Diane DeWitt and the Friendship Circle of the Dingmans Ferry United Methodist Church.
History of Accomplishments:
November 2002: Laura's Angels made 3,000 angels to adorn the 40 foot Evergreen Tree put up by Carpenter's Union-Local 68, outside the USS Intrepid Air/Space Museum in New York City to honor the 9-11 Victims during the Christmas Holiday.
November 2004: Laura's Angels was invited to display an angel tree at the Stroud Mall in Stroudsburg, PA.
September 2005: The Delaware Township Volunteer Fire Fighters gave Laura's Angel Tree a permanent home on the grounds of their fire house. There they began to build what is now the "Laura's Angels September 11 Memorial Garden".
April 2006: First fundraiser held for Laura's Angels. Smithfield Elementary School in East Stroudsburg, PA raised over $500 to begin work on the memorial garden.
October 2008: Laura's Angels created the "Field of Angels" Display to pay tribute to the 3,000 people who lost their lives on September 11th.
It is our hope that we can continue to grow our vision of rememberance and create a legacy for Laura--and all the victims of September 11, 2001--that will live on forever.