News Release: TOWERS RISING OPENS AT 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2023
SPECIAL EXHIBITION TOWERS RISING: ENVISIONING THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BEFORE AND AFTER 9/11 OPENS AT 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
New exhibition explores how New York City has redrawn its iconic skyline through artworks from the Museum’s collection
(New York) April 5, 2023 – The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (9/11 Memorial & Museum) is pleased to announce a new special exhibition exploring how New York City has redrawn its iconic skyline through artworks from the Museum’s collection. Towers Rising: Envisioning the World Trade Center Before and After 9/11 opens on April 5, 2023, in coordination with the 50th anniversary of the 1973 dedication of the original World Trade Center. The buildings have changed, but the imprint remains.
Art is the powerful foundation for this exhibition that focuses on and features the building and rebuilding of the World Trade Center. From architectural sketches and depictions of the original building designs to reflections of the post-9/11 memorial site, the works invite visitors to consider how we view the World Trade Center—then and now—in lower Manhattan, New York City, and the world. The exhibition features well-known artists and architects such as Fritz Koenig, Daniel Libeskind, and Michael Arad, all of whom have strong connections to the World Trade Center site. Also included is a portfolio of sketches by Lili Réthi and Nicholas Solovioff, who were commissioned by the Port Authority to document the original construction in the 1960s and 1970s. Another featured collection is from FDNY-firefighter-turned-artist Brenda Berkman, who will also narrate the Audio Guide tour stop that provides an overview for this exhibition.
“The Museum’s large and diverse permanent collection provides the visual resources for this new exhibition,” said 9/11 Memorial & Museum Chief Curator and Executive Vice President of Collections Dr. Jan S. Ramirez. “The works on view in Towers Rising were chosen for the differing aesthetic ways that artists and other visual chroniclers responded to the two successive, monumental urban renewal projects centered at the World Trade Center site, bisected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The first chapter begins with the 20th-century creation of this new campus of vertical commerce, dominated by the rising quarter-mile-high Twin Towers. The second surveys moments in the site’s regeneration after September 11, 2001, as New York’s skyline was gradually repaired around the poignant new heart of the emerging 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Artists witnessed these distinct feats of human engineering, and Towers Rising offers us an opportunity to share some of their stories of deep connection to this authentic site while also commemorating the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the original World Trade Center in April 1973.”
“This group of works symbolizes the strength and resiliency we’ve become accustomed to facing and overcoming as New Yorkers. Towers Rising is the Memorial Museum’s first special exhibition since our most recent unifying challenge – the COVID-19 pandemic,” 9/11 Memorial & Museum Director Clifford Chanin said. “Whether you knew the towers as they were or were born after the 9/11 attacks, there is something for all to gain from this special exhibition. For some, it may be remembrance and reflection, and for others, it may be educational. However, all can appreciate the variety of perspectives and emotions evoked through each unique piece, and we are pleased to invite you to experience them today.”
A digital version of the special exhibition can be accessed here. Photos for press use can be found here.
Presentation of Towers Rising has been made possible by Presenting Sustainers Rechler Philanthropy, Inc. and Dan and Sheryl Tishman. Sustainers are committed to supporting key Museum initiatives such as special exhibitions, collection acquisitions and preservation, and educational, public, and professional programs.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the nonprofit organization that oversees operations for the 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Memorial Museum. Located on eight of the 16 acres of the World Trade Center site, the Memorial and Museum remember and honor the 2,983 people who were killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The Memorial plaza design consists of two reflecting pools formed in the footprints of the original Twin Towers surrounded by swamp white oak trees. The Museum displays more than 900 personal and monumental objects while its collection includes more than 67,500 items that present intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning and recovery linked to the events of 9/11 and the aftermath The Museum also explores the global impact of 9/11 and its continuing significance through education programs, public programs, live talks and film features that cover contemporary topics designed for diverse audiences. For more information or to reserve a ticket to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, please visit 911memorial.org.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Lee Cochran | (203) 249-8764 | press@911memorial.org
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STAKEHOLDER QUOTES
“The 125-year legacy of TISHMAN is cemented in creating iconic landmarks and transforming skylines across the United States, most notably that of New York City,” said Chairman of Tishman Realty and Construction and 9/11 Memorial & Museum Trustee Daniel Tishman. “With my late father’s leadership, the company led the construction of the original World Trade Center’s North and South Towers, the tallest buildings in the world at the time. The towers represented what we continue to stand for today – innovation, inspiration, and infinite possibilities. After the 9/11 attacks, we unified and shifted the full force of our expertise toward rebuilding efforts. Today, lower Manhattan stands as a beacon of hope and proof that New York City will always prevail. I have been honored to serve on the board of the Memorial & Museum since its founding and I am proud to sponsor Towers Rising, a beautiful homage to World Trade Center history and one of my father’s greatest achievements.”
“After viewing plans for Towers Rising, I was reminded of the 9/12 spirit – how we came together in the face of unfathomable loss and emerged stronger and more resilient than ever,” said Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of RXR and 9/11 Memorial & Museum Trustee Scott Rechler. “April also marks another spirited initiative by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum that I’ve proudly sponsored for the past 10 years – the annual 5K Run/Walk, presented by RXR. The race route follows a similar path taken by rescue, recovery, and relief workers in the aftermath of the attacks. Depicted by many of the works in this special exhibition, the scene then was bleak and dangerous, but that did not stop the brave first responders, workers, and volunteers from showing up ceaselessly in service to others – and it did not stop us from rebuilding afterward. I applaud the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for keeping the memory of their courage and sacrifice alive and preserving the history of this important site.”
“The 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s exhibition tracing the evolution of the World Trade Center campus highlights the vision and resilience of our region,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Fifty years ago, the Port Authority built the World Trade Center utilizing novel techniques. After the tragedy of September 11th, the agency rebuilt the campus with purpose and innovation. This engaging, educational exhibit offers a rich history of the campus and reaffirms our commitment to never forget.”