The Memoria Project, Inc. announces plans to create a commemorative sculpture to the victims of September 11, 2001 on Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area. Monmouth County, NJ, sculptor Stephen Shaheen, along with a dedicated team of planners, are in the process of realizing a large marble and granite monument to be built between May 1, 2002 and August 31, 2002. An unveiling ceremony is planned on or around September 11, 2002 at the final resting location, yet to be determined.

Unlike many memorials, which are created off-site, the process of the Memoria Project is intended to be interactive and open to the public. Community members, beachgoers, and students will look on -- and in some cases lend a hand -- as Shaheen and two Italian colleagues carve out figures from two 13-foot blocks of marble. In addition, educational art programs are being planned to surround the construction during the summer months, with workshops, seminars, and demonstrations to be held on-site. "We want the process to be healing and enriching to the community that was so devastated by the attacks this past September," said Shaheen, who is also the Memoria Project President and the artist behind the design of the memorial. "It's only one small step on a long road to closure, but if we can help further that on an individual and community level, then our goal will have been achieved."