LEWISTON, ME — A new art installation at Maine MILL commemorates the one-year remembrance of the mass shootings in Lewiston. Maine MILL commissioned locals, photographer Tanja Hollander and multimedia Deaf artist Miia Zellner, to create an installation that uses all 261 plastic flower sleeves saved from Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengee’s Bar and Grille.

Flowers are left as signs of mourning around the world, but this is the first installation that uses the plastic flower sleeves. Through this medium, the work will explore loss, the role of impermanent expressions, and the impetus behind shared community recovery from the effects of mass violence. The installation will be on view beginning October 16 in the recently-created memorial room within the museum.

The mass shooting that took place on October 25, 2023 killed 18 people, including 4 members of the Deaf community—the 10th largest shooting in United States’ history.  Lewiston-Auburn is now among many communities around the country that have been devastated by mass shooting events. Since October 25, 2023, Maine MILL has been leading the cultural response to the shootings, documenting, archiving and preserving all of the memorial items left around the cities. The museum has committed to having a permanent memorial space to display objects and changing exhibits related to the events.

About the Artists

Tanja Hollander is an artist who works with photography, video, installation and social practice to understand how cultural and visual relationships help us make sense of our challenging world. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1972 and received a B.A. in Photography, Film, and Feminist Studies from Hampshire College in 1994. Her last body of work, Are you really my friend? debuted in its entirety as an exhibition, short documentary and book for a year at MASS MoCA in 2017. Sections were recently exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Portland Museum of Art (Maine), Virei Viral (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and the Carl-Schurz-Haus (Freiberg, Germany). She lives and works in Auburn, Maine.

Miia Zellner is a Deaf multimedia artist who lives in Lewiston, Maine. Zellner graduated from MassArt with a BFA in glass in 2022 with a Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) from Maine College of Art & Design Art in 2023. Their work explores themes of the Deaf experience and the relationship between humans and their environment. In addition to their practice, Miia teaches elementary art in Turner, Maine, and inspires students to discover their own artistic voice.

The exhibit is made possible by the Maine Community Foundation, the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, the Maine Humanities Council, and the Maine Arts Commission.

The exhibit runs from October 16, 2024 to September 6, 2025.

For more information about Maine MILL and its events and exhibits, visit www.mainemill.org or call 207-333-3881. The museum is located at 35 Canal Street in Lewiston and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10am – 4pm.