A decade later and nearly 400 miles away, the voices of 9/11 still echo through the quiet halls of two Buffalo art galleries.
Burchfield Penny Art Center and Hallwalls have each become sanctums of remembrance for the time they will house the artifacts and memories of a day that deeply impacted the American people.
New York Remembers
New York Remembersbrings together pieces from the collections of the New York State Museum and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum to be displayed at 30 different locations across the Empire State. Luckily, the Burchfield Penny Art Center is one such place.
"Authentic objects are crucial to understanding the story of 9/11, from the profound loss to the extraordinary heroism and depths of compassion," said Alice M. Greenwald, Director of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in an Aug. 10 press release. "These exhibits will be an important learning opportunity for people of all ages, and a fitting tribute to the many who perished at the World Trade Center on that terrible morning ten years ago."
Artifacts range from police vehicles that arrived on the scene early that clear fall morning, to landing gears that were never deployed on hijacked planes, to pieces of the buildings themselves.
"The idea of the exhibit is to have people re-learn the events of 9/11 in a more tangible way," said Mark Schaming of the New York State Museum.
One of the objects on display in Buffalo is a destroyed Port Authority Police SUV. Schaming explains how the Port Authority lost over 30 police officers at the World Trade Center, and displaying this particular artifact gives a different context in which to discuss and reflect upon their contribution.
The artifacts of New York Remembers gives people far from Ground Zero a unique chance to examine and remember the events surrounding the World Trade Center tragedy through the materials left behind. The exhibit will be open through Sept. 30, including Sept. 11, and is $5 for students.
9•11cwk
Hallwalls hosts Terri Katz Kasimov's exhibit, 9•11cwk. Consisting of 21 collages, the display catalogs Kasimov's experience with the terrorist attacks.
Located in one of the collages is a flight itinerary dated Tuesday, 11 Sep 01 for an 8:55 flight from Buffalo to JFK airport in New York City. The passenger is Kasimov, on her way to see her son who worked next to the World Trade Center at 1 Liberty Plaza.
Another collage holds the words of an emotional voicemail sent at 8:48 a.m. the same day from her son, Cory William Kasimov.
"Mom, it's me," part of the message reads. "I don't think you want to come here. A missile just hit the World Trade Center. Don't come."
Other pieces show images including the silhouette of the destroyed towers, a high heel left behind in the ash and soot, and a flurry of papers raining down from the implosion.
Throughout the exhibit, art, life, and emotion collide as seen through the eyes of Kasimov to create a powerful message of 9/11, the event's terror and confusion, and feelings and images it left ingrained on the masses in its aftermath.
Originally displayed at the UB Anderson gallery on the first anniversary, 9•11cwk was displayed this time in conjunction with a discussion panel, Ten Years Later: Where Are We Looking Now?, that took place Sept. 6 at Talking Leaves. The exhibit will run through the week of Sept. 12 at Hallwalls Cinema.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
