Ten years after the loss of their daughters, two longtime Mad River Valley friends have come together to create an immersive experience honoring love, community, resilience, and the enduring search for joy.
Ten years ago, Mary Harris and Janie Chase Cozzi, along with three other local teenagers, were killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 89. The other teens who died in the crash were Eli Brookens, Waterbury; Cyrus Zschau, Moretown; and Liam Hale, Fayston.
Their mothers Liz Harris, Moretown, and Erin Chase, Fayston, grew up in the Mad River Valley and became friends in middle school. Their daughters formed a friendship of their own from the moment they met as babies, becoming forever best friends.
EMBRACING JOY
In the years since that October 8 crash, the Mad River Valley community has continued to experience inevitable losses while repeatedly demonstrating the capacity to come together, support one another, and carry each other through difficult times, explained Ramsey Brown, event coordinator at the Big Pic, which will host a one-weekend event, Oct. 16 to 18, commemorating the tenth anniversary while celebrating community response.
Still We Rise is Harris and Chase's response to that journey and recognizes that “Still We Rise,” Maya Angelou’s most famous poem, was one of Janie’s favorites.
“Rather than creating an event centered solely on loss, they have chosen to celebrate the people, relationships, creativity, and acts of kindness that help communities heal. The experience is an invitation to remember those who are no longer here while also embracing the joy that remains,” Brown said.
SHOWING UP
“We want to honor the people who carried us through some of the hardest moments of our lives,” the two mothers said. “Our communities have shown us again and again what resilience looks like. We want to encourage people to seek joy, even in the midst of difficult times, and to remember that joy and grief can exist together.”
The inspiration for Still We Rise comes from Harris and Chase’s discovery of healing through creativity and the Mad River Valley's long history of neighbors showing up for one another.
From the community response following Tropical Storm Irene to the support surrounding families experiencing devastating losses, The Valley and their extended communities have repeatedly demonstrated the power of collective care and resilience, Brown noted.
LARGER THAN LIFE
To that end, Harris and Chase, with the help of contributing artists, community volunteers and others are transforming their grief and their journey into an immersive work of art where visitors will enter a mystical, larger-than-life environment filled with luminescence, multimedia art, color, and abstract light.
“The experience is designed to encourage exploration, wonder, connection, and above all, joy,” Brown said.
The two best friends explained that Still We Rise is not simply an art installation.
“It is an expression of gratitude to the communities that have carried its members through unimaginable circumstances and a reminder that, even after profound loss, there can still be beauty, connection, creativity, and light,” they said.
The event takes place Oct. 16-18 outside at the Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
