September 11, 2011 marks the 10th
anniversary of the unthinkable terrorist attacks that took place at the Twin
Towers, NYC, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in the woods over Pennsylvania. With great sadness, we will long remember that
fateful morning, recalling in clear detail where we were and what we were
doing.
Art can often express what words can’t. Tapping into that visual connection, I have chosen to
highlight a few powerful and poignant exhibits that commemorate this national
tragedy.
 |
Graydon Parrish's proposal sketch for
"The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy, September 11, 2001" |
 |
| Detail of Parrish's allegorical mural |
THE CYCLE of TERROR
and TRAGEDY… In 2002, Douglas
Hyland, the executive director of the
New Britain Museum of American Art,
commissioned Classical-Realist artist, Graydon Parrish to undertake an
monumental allegorical mural to memorialize the events surrounding 9-11.
Hyland, who had great respect for the artist’s work,
including his powerful allegorical painting about the early AIDS epidemic,
considered no other artist. The resulting 8-by-18 foot long dramatic work
of art, The
Cycle of Terror and Tragedy,
September 11, 2001, occupies a single wall in the
museum’s Chase Family Building. Arguably one of the largest and most important
of recent realist American paintings, its creator, Graydon Parrish, is a modern
master and leading figure in classical art revival.
PAYING TRIBUTE to the PAST and a PLACE of HOPE …
 |
Visitors to the 2007 September 11th
Commemorative Ceremony
gather around the "Flight 93 Flag"
and share their experience
of September 11. (Photo by Chuck Wagner) |
This year, two major 9-11 memorials will be opening for the first time: The National 9-11 Memorial at WTC New York City lists the names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history; and the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA will honor the courage and sacrifice of the 40 heroes who fought back.A
TRIBUTE to the FORTITUDE of NYC… Now
through October 16, The Heckscher Museum of Art
in Huntingron, NY presents New York, New York, which pays tribute to the
fortitude of New York City and the courage of her people. Museum admission is
free to all visitors on Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11 PEACE STORY
QUILT… The 9/11 Peace
Story Quilt designed by the artist Faith Ringgold and created in collaboration
with New York City students’ ages 8 to 19, will be exhibited at The
Metropolitan Museum of Art from August 30, 2011 through January 22, 2012. The
Quilt is comprised of three 72-by-50 inch panels, each with 12 squares on the
theme of peace.
Posts
