Three years in the making, the new memorial includes doorways, mosaic and a mural to honor those affected by COVID-19
By RORY CONLON — city@theaggie.org
The Davis Cemetery District opened a new memorial dedicated to victims of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 22.
Located near the back of the cemetery, the memorial includes four doorways decorated to match different themes, a “reflecting wall” with mirrors and mosaic and a mural painted by community members. Davis Cemetery Trustee Vice Chair Stephen Souza spearheaded construction of the project.
“Three years ago, [Davis Cemetery Trustee] Heidy Kellison came to the board with the idea of building a COVID-19 memorial, and the board said, ‘We think we can do it,’” Souza said. “We proceeded to plan, and two years in, we issued a call to artists. That’s when I really started to feel as though we could make this happen.”
The four doorways, made of concrete and overlaid with colorful ceramic tiles, represent different themes selected by members of the Davis community: home, community, loss and hope. Wesley Horn, the lead artist on the memorial, recognized local Davis artists and community members that contributed to the final product.
“Jennifer Nachmanoff and Donna Lemongello, two fixtures and heavy weights in the Davis arts scene, spent countless hours in the studio making a lot of these tiles and hosting community build workshops,” Horn said. “300 plus community members are represented physically in the tiles and handmade ceramics on these portals. We had a number of open, free community build sessions in places like the Davis Craft and Vintage Fair, the International House and the Davis School of Independent Study.”
Once visitors of the memorial pass through the four doorways, they encounter a “reflecting wall” complete with mirrors and colorful glass mosaic. Sheila Allen, the supervisor elect for District 4, said her reflection in the glass emphasized how she, as well as everyone at the memorial, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every person here, every person who’s not here and some of the people whose bodies now lie in this cemetery, were all affected by the pandemic,” Allen said. “Whereas it might feel better to say, ‘Yeah, let’s move on,’ I think taking a moment to remember is an important thing to do.”
District 2 Supervisor Lucas Frerichs also highlighted the mental health struggles community members continue to face in light of the pandemic.
“Mental health indicators were at epidemic levels prior to the pandemic,” Frerichs said. “They have only been exacerbated since that time, and it’s no wonder […] why. There is so much work to do in reducing stigma and barriers to [begin] acceptance and healing.”
Some of the sponsors of the memorial included the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, the city of Davis and Davis Firefighters Local 3494. Davis Firefighters Local 3494 President Matt Fix said that, while firefighters are used to responding in moments of crisis, confronting the pandemic was different.
“During those long months, we found ourselves on the front lines in ways that we hadn’t before, knowing that each call we responded to carried new risks and who knows what else,” Fix said. “We weren’t looking for praise then, and I don’t think any of us are looking for praise now. We responded when the calls came in.”
Davis Mayor Josh Chapman also spoke about efforts the city of Davis took to combat the pandemic. He said that the Healthy Davis Together program, a collaboration between several organizations aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, helped support struggling Davis businesses through the Business Partner Program.
“The program supported businesses and local economy through a variety of resources and means, including free PPE [personal protective equipment], grant reimbursements of up to $5,000 for items that aided businesses in safely reopening, free COVID-19 testing for employees and their families [and] access to business ambassadors and public health specialists,” Chapman said. “During the program’s eight-month run, a total of 424 Davis businesses participated, which is about 30% of the customer-facing businesses in the community.”
Chapman said the pandemic emphasized how strong the Davis community can be in the face of adversity.
“When it comes to our families, our friends and our businesses, we are ready to step up every single time,” Chapman said. “That is what it means to live in Davis and to call this our home. Let’s hope that nothing like COVID-19 ever happens again, but if by chance it does, I know that we’re going to be okay.”
Written By: Rory Conlon — city@theaggie.org
