SkillQuest Flame Heart Memorial

In 2004 Grendel’s Mother built a memorial sculpture with the clients and staff of SkillQuest, a day support program operated by the City of Virginia Beach’s Department of Mental Health. SkillQuest serves approximately 150 of the City’s most severely disabled citizens. This year long project, funded with grants and donations, was initiated to honor present clients of SkillQuest and those who had passed away.

Clients, their families and the SkillQuest staff worked with Grendel’s Mother to develop a preliminary design. The Department of Mental Health administration and Grendel’s Mother then gained the appropriate permits and government approvals for the project to proceed.

Client participation in the actual construction was a crucial component of this project. Grendel’s Mother built two clay molds into which the clients made impressions and placed ceramic tiles and mementos. Concrete was then poured into these molds and more tiles and objects were added to the top surfaces. Finally the concrete forms were stood up and joined to form a tear shaped sculpture with a hollow heart in the center. A dedication followed and the sculpture is now permanently installed in a small city park across from the SkillQuest center.