Over 11,000 handmade poppies from around the world cascade over Niagara Falls History Museum

The Niagara Falls History Museum has been draped with an art installation of over 11,000 poppies handmade by people from around the world. 

The museum and Stick'N Needles, a local stitching guild, organized 'The Poppy Project' for Remembrance Day. The public was asked to knit and crochet poppies, which cascade over the building. 

A media release from the city says that the 11,000 poppies came from every province in Canada, 25 states in the U.S. as well as Denmark and New Zealand. 

Many poppies even had heartfelt letters that dedicated the creations to family members who fought and died in wars around the world. 

Local artists Joanne Ring and Emily Andrews helped design the installation, which extends over the building's exterior as well as inside the museum. 

The poppies pour from the window and connect at a hanging field inside the museum's lobby. 

"I hand tied over 1,200 poppies with fishing line, so that was a lot of work," said Andrews in a video posted by Niagara Falls Museums on YouTube. 

It was interesting to work with materials created from other artisans and create one piece from poppies that are different sizes and colours, Andrews said. 

Ironworks Niagara and Falcon Crane installed infrastructure on the outside of the museum in order to hang netting and feature poppies on the stones. 

While it began as a small community-based art project, it exploded into a massive initiative, said Christine Girardi, the assistant curator and organizer of the project. 

"At a time when we feel so isolated and alone, I think this project offered a way to connect people. It allowed them to come together and contribute from the safety of their own homes," she said. 

"The purpose of this project is to honour those who have given so much to protect our rights and freedoms. Both the act of creating the poppies and the display of them annually will continue to remind us of their sacrifice."