SCAD alum collaborates with a Georgia firefighter to honor the 10-year anniversary of 9/11

Chicago native Curtis James Miller designs a steel phoenix for a 9/11 memorial project

ATLANTA, GA (09/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Former United States Marine and Savannah College of Art and Design alumnus Curtis James Miller (B.F.A., sculpture, 2011) has teamed up with DeKalb, Georgia, firefighter Doug Harms to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 by designing a memorial to be located in front of DeKalb County Fire and Police Headquarters.

The steel phoenix sculpted by Miller will be set on a solid piece of granite in the shape of a pentagon to symbolize the military and country. The phoenix wing will rise out of the ashes behind a piece of steel from one of the World Trade Center Towers, which was received by Firefighter Harms, and will be the centerpiece of the monument. It will also include four flight markers made out of granite with a timeline of the events for each airplane.

"The designs I came up with allowed me to try some new techniques," said Miller, "and had room for innovation in my processes to make this a personally progressive work, much like the symbolism we are using of the phoenix mythology."

The memorial will pay homage to the 343 New York firefighters, 60 New York and Port Authority police officers and the more than 2800 civilian victims of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001.

Miller, a Chicago native, has been involved with numerous public art pieces across the United States and Europe. He is involved with the international Iron Artist community and has been commissioned for a wide range of work, including historical architectural drawings, portraiture and original narratives.

The DeKalb County Fire and Police Headquarters will host a remembrance ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011 at 8 a.m. that will include a ceremonial procession and memorial dedication.

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