What Is Memorialization?

Memorialization is the art of commemorating the lives of those loved, revered and respected. In all civilizations and generations, it has been desired to remember loved ones by erecting monuments. From pyramids to Indian burial mounds, public memorials such as Mt. Rushmore to simple private memorials, the creation of a monument has been the most common form of remembrance. A monument should last forever and the purchase of one should be made unhurriedly, with great care and consideration.

MONUMENT INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

• American Institute of Commemorative Art
• Barre Granite Association
• Elberton Granite Association
• Northwest Granite Manufacturers Association

STATE ASSOCIATIONS

• Alabama Monument Builders Association, Inc.
• California Monument Association, Inc.
• Mid-Atlantic Monument Builders Association
• Monument Builders of the Carolinas
• Connecticut Monument Builders Guild
• Florida Monument Builders Association
• Illinois Monument Builders Association
• Indiana Monument Builders Association
• Kentucky Association of Memorial Dealers
• Louisiana-Mississippi Monument Builders Association
• Monument Builders of Maryland & Delaware 
• Mid-Atlantic Monument Builders (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
• Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia)
• New England Monument Dealers Association
• Monument Builders of New Jersey
• Associated Granite Craftsmen's Guild of New York City Metropolitan Area
• New York State Monument Builders
• Northwest Monument Builders (Minnesota, Nebraska, North & South Dakota)
• Monument Builders of Ohio
• Pacific Northwest  Monument Builders Association (Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho,
• Montana, Oregon, Washington)
• Monument Builders of the Southwest
• Tennessee Division of MBNA

PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Atlantic Monument Builders Association
• Ontario Monument Builders Association
• Monument Builders of the Pacific Northwest
• Association des Detaillants de Monuments du Quebec

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

• Spirits Alive
• Find A Grave
• Eternal Justice
• Canadian Ministry of Consumer and Business Services
• Michigan Senate Enrolled Bill

Monuments can become dirty or stained by air pollution, hard irrigation water, tree sap, birds or any number of other sources. Properly cleaned, a monument will be truly a fine piece of memorial art.

Grief is the natural and normal reaction to loss of any kind. Usually when we speak of grief we speak of the death of a loved one. 

In 1997, MBNA formed a Consumer Advocacy Committee to examine consumer issues as they relate to the memorialization industry. They also hired Carolyn Jacobi, Founder of Eternal Justice, to work with individual members and their customers, and to also make them aware of their rights and choices in memorializing family and friends.

Materials
There are three basic types of materials that are used to create monuments.

Granite is a natural stone that starts as molten rock.  The type of granite is determined by the minerals that were mixed together to create the molten rock and by the rate at which the granite cools and solidifies.   If granite cools rapidly, it will be a fine grain stone and if cooled slowly it’s grain will be coarser.