By Gerri Miller
Staff Writer
Imagine a field of 1,000 gorgeous red poppies in downtown Prattville. These poppies on display in late May, however, will be made of porcelain and no two are alike. Each one will represent an individual who served in the military and has passed away.
The poppies will be on display in Heritage Park May 25-31 and are part of the Alabama Poppy Project. The project is the effort of Julianne Hansen Fine Art and Pottery. Hansen said she based the project on a 2014 London exhibit of an individual who wanted the poppies to represent the fatalities of World War I. That display included more than 800,000 poppies.
“I thought it would be wonderful to do something like that here, except on a smaller scale,” she said. “It has been a rewarding project because each poppy represents someone who has sacrificed something for their country.”
Julianne and her husband Steven are hand making the 1,000 poppies literally in their garage. Julianne hand crafts each poppy and Steven glazes it and puts it in a kiln. She said she has been making about 50 poppies each day. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she said.
So why was the poppy selected for this project? “Around the world, the poppy has symbolized the blood that has been spilled in an effort to preserve our freedoms and those who have died while in the service of a country they love,” she said.
Each poppy will be tied with a white ribbon with gold lettering with each soldier’s name. The Alabama Poppy Project will commemorate and honor those individuals with a handmade ceramic poppy on a metal stake that will be placed in a field near Heritage Park the week prior to Memorial Day. They will be displayed for one week starting on Monday, May 25, 2020 through the following Sunday, May 31, 2020.
The cost for each poppy is $45. Julianne said $10 from the sale of each poppy will be donated both to organizations that help the families of fallen soldiers and to those who maintain the historic records such as the Autauga County Heritage Association.
So far 100 poppies have been sold and there are plenty more available. Your poppy will be displayed along with the name of the person whom you are honoring for one week. At the conclusion of the exhibit, you may come pick up your poppy, or choose to donate it back to the event for future use.
Once a Poppy is purchased, you can send a photo of your honoree and a little information about them.
Julianne will add them to the project’s website to continue their legacy.
“We have the most incredible collection of people already who have served their country,” she said. There is an entire collection dedicated to the crew of a crashed Blackhawk helicopter.
“There is just no way you can put a price on someone’s life, what they do and how they choose to serve,” she said.
Once you have sponsored a poppy, you will be emailed instructions on how to pick up your flower after the event has concluded.
For more information or to purchase a poppy, visit the project website at https://alabamapoppyproject.com/ .
If you would rather place your order over the phone, call Julianne Hansen Fine Art & Pottery Gallery during regular business hours at (334) 301-0336.
