Earlier this spring, while attending a memorial ceremony for fallen local soldiers, I heard one gold star mother say, “If my son were still alive, I would be a grandmother by now.” Her deep grief spoke of yesterday’s sorrow. As I listened to her heartache, the initial creative seeds for the Cut Short veterans memorial garden were planted.
The installation, situated on the ground of the Village Arts Factory in Canton, Michigan, consists of twenty-one 6 x 6 inch white posts placed in lines like the white crosses of Arlington National Cemetery. The posts, however, are cut into various lengths representing those who served and those whose lives were “cut short.”
Cut Short provides a sacred place for families and friends to grieve. But the installation also offers a healing opportunity to honor a life of service by adding a silver plate with a loved one’s name and image. This site-specific installation collectively engages and invites visitors to embrace love, gratitude, and healing—whispering words of today’s hope.
Would you like to celebrate a life of service by adding a silver plaque to Cut Short memorial posts?
