A collection of influential books gifted from the personal libraries of revered arts and cultural figures.
Monumental KITES: Collective Memory
A long time ago a man wanted to fly up to the sky and the stars. He was so determined that he built himself a kite big enough to carry him into the sky. He flew so high that he became an immortal deity.
By asking “Where do I stand?” is asking us to establish and commemorate what is important to us, our values, the important people, places and events in our lives. This project works to gather these stories, creating a more accurate understanding of what collective memory truly looks like.
Monumental KITES: Creating Collective Memory is a site-specific participatory project using the context of monuments and public art asking the question “Where do I stand?” The response to the question becomes the declaration to commemorate our individual experiences that create the collective with our lived environments. This project works to re-contextualize the monument as societal unification and collective revery rooted in space and time through your personal stories.
Kites originated in China during civil unrest and are a universal symbol of art, culture, spirituality and community. When flying a kite, there is a dance between person, object and nature (the wind). This meditation between human and nature, carries multi-cultural meaning including freedom; release or letting go of burdens and moving towards possibility. Kites also invite a sense of joy and seeing the world from an alternative perspective. Serving as a gentle reminder: Our connections with each other through communal celebration, with nature and with our everyday environments, are all key parts of our humanity.
Individual stories as Collective Memory
By asking “Where do I stand?” we are invited to pause and consider what gives meaning to our lives: the values we hold, the people who have shaped us, the places we call home, and the experiences that have changed us. The question asks us to locate ourselves not only within a physical landscape, but within the personal and collective histories that make us who we are.
This project creates a space for people to identify, share, and commemorate those things that matter most to them. Through conversation, participation, and storytelling, individual memories become part of a larger body of shared experience. A childhood place, a significant person, a moment of loss or celebration, a cultural tradition, a relationship with nature, or an experience of belonging can all become pieces of a much larger story.
The resulting work becomes more than a collection of individual memories. It becomes a reflection of the community itself—a living portrait of the relationships, values, histories, and experiences that connect us. The monumental kites serve as physical markers of this process, transforming personal stories into a shared landscape of memory.
Ultimately, “Where do I stand?” becomes both a question of identity and an invitation to participate. It asks each of us to consider what we carry with us, what we value, what has shaped us, and what we want future generations to remember. By placing these individual experiences into a collective context, the project explores how memory can connect people to one another and to the place they share.
Different ways this project shows up in the world
Public Art
Along with the public art sculptures, this project engages with community members to gather stories, creating a more accurate understanding of what our collective memory truly looks like.
Anissa R. Lewis and Lacey Haslam collaborate to present this socially engaged project. Together, they facilitate one-on-one conversations and public workshops that invite participants to reflect on and articulate the experiences, relationships, places, and values that have shaped their lives. These conversations guide participants through the process of developing the concepts behind the public artwork, creating a direct connection between personal experience, community storytelling, and the physical monuments that emerge from the project.
In gathering these stories, the project recognizes that collective memory is not a single, unified narrative. It is made up of many perspectives, experiences, voices, and interpretations. What we remember as a community is shaped by whose stories are preserved, whose voices are heard, and what we choose to commemorate. By inviting many people to contribute, the project seeks to broaden that record and create a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of the places we inhabit.
Meet Anissa R. Lewis
A community-based artist, was born and raised in Covington, KY by way of Philadelphia, PA—where she relocated after receiving her MFA from Yale School of Art. Lewis’ deep belief in the power of community, identity and voice has led her to many projects and collaborations.
