"Ascent" is a tribute to the lives lost on Sept. 11th. It represents a celebration of life, the release from tragedy, and the process of healing. It is a marker of sacred memory. A testament not only to the lives we lost but to all of us who remain. Most of all it represents LOVE. In the weeks after 9/11, I joined the nation and the world in grief and mourning. I started sculpting, completely unaware that I was embarking on a three-year journey that would change my life. During the creation of the sculpture, I found many new friends in the clay. I have sculpted their forms over and over, changing their shapes daily until their stories surfaced. It is my hope that viewers of the work will discover their own interpretation of the piece, enabling each story to be born again and again.

I joined the Halcottsville volunteer fire department shortly after 9/11. Halcottsville is a small hamlet in the Catskills. My fellow firefighters were amazing, every one of them. In the days and weeks and months after the tragedy of 9/11 they all said the same thing, like a mantra: "I wish I were down there to help." For security reasons, they were unable to do that. They represent thousands of volunteers who said those same words all over the nation. They are here today, the men and woman in blue.

So many people helped make Ascent a reality by donating their time, services and resources. Their names are listed on a plaque at the base of the sculpture. Each and every one of them wanted me to convey to you their love and support and to assure you that you have not been forgotten. That your loved ones will always be held close in the hearts of millions all over the world.

Ascent will be at St. Paul's Chapel ground zero from Thursday the 15th through Friday the 23rd of December. Voices of September 11 is holding an event for family members on December 17th, at which time the Harlem Gospel Choir, Sonny Fortune, Locomotion Dance Company, The Beavogs, and The Cheam High School Chapel Choir of Surrey, England will be performing for the families after which families will be invited to write their loved one's names on the base of the sculpture. These names will be later etched into the sculpture permanently. In addition, messages written on paper during the service will be permanently enclosed inside the base of the sculpture.

The 10" labyrinth that is permanently etched on the base of Ascent is by Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D.
She is the Founder of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth Foundation and the artist-creator of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, widely installed in public and private spaces, and spiritual centers throughout the world.
Lea says of her Labyrinth for Ascent,

"This path is but a metaphor…
A journey of the heart,
for fingers to trace the way home."

The American flag that will be flying next to Ascent will be created by the participants of Delaware county ARC. The Halcottsville Fire department will be present to assist with the event.
Ascent will be donated by the Halcottsville Fire Department when a suitable location is found.
Special thanks to:
Zoe Randall, Sarah Taft, Lilly Golden, Mel Litof, The Halcottsville Fire Department, Tom Pilato, Robert G Seeley, Craig Seeley, Mary Fetchet and the Voices of September 11th, Mark A. Piasio, Jack E Piasio, Paula M Cheri, Blake and Linda Gall, Peter and Sheri Finn, Marc Schweitzer, Robbie Wally Snipes, George & Sheri Suess, Gail Lennstrom, Byron Myers. and Jewel Patrick.
For more information about the event, please visit the following websites:
www.VoicesOfSept11.org.
www.SaintPaulsChapel.org
www.srlabyrinthfoundation.com
www.Loco-MotionDanceTheatre.org
www.HarlemGospelChoir.com
www.SonnyFortune.com
www.DelawareCountyARC.org

Photos © Chris Boswell

For more pictures of Mark Pilato's creating Ascent,
please visit his website:

http://www.pilatostudios.com/pages/markSculptureGallery.html