Riverhead students craft ceramic poppies to honor veterans

A ceramic installation made of poppies crafted by Riverhead High School student-artists will greet families, friends and loved ones who pay their respects to veterans buried at Calverton National Cemetery this Memorial Day weekend.
The installation was created by Riverhead High School’s art department to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by those who have served our country.
“The installation offers a moment of reflection, honor and community connection,” Katy Wilkinson, one of the three art teachers who led the project, said. “We encourage everyone to stop by during the week to view the display and pay their respects. Let us come together in remembrance and appreciation.”
Art teachers Debbie Cantalupo and Selena Pagliarulo started the annual art installation in 2021. Their creative crafts and ceramic classes began crafting the poppies and adding to the collection each year. After several years, Ms. Wilkinson’s creative crafts classes joined in the initiative as well. The collection now includes more than 1,000 ceramic poppies.
The poppies had been installed at the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead surrounding the World War I monument in previous years. This is the first year the poppies are being installed outside the entrance of Calverton National Cemetery.
A 2014 large-scale art installation at the Tower of London, created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and conceptualized by stage designer Tom Piper, was the original inspiration for the display.
Mr. Cummins and Mr. Piper’s installation, titled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” filled the Tower of London’s moat with 888,246 ceramic red poppies — each representing a British or colonial service member who died in World War I. The piece served to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the war.