Wednesday, November 30, 2011

9/11 Memorial

This picture shows people gathered around the 9/11 Memorial Plaza's south pool. Apparent is the involvement of those pictured with the open space, atmosphere, and engraved names pictured. On the right, we can peek at the water falling as the infamous Twin Towers once fell. The reflections emerging from the building windows mirror the urbanity around the site and so do the eclectic faces of those who attend. 

Here are the names of the deceased on September 11, 2001. There are African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Middle Eastern, and Caucasian names and it mimics those who visit the site daily showing how the attacks on the World Trade Center affected the entire world.
My class " Art in NY " on top of all the things going on around this city. "Cheese"


 The 9/11 Memorial Plaza visit was very nice. It was sort of like the continuation and conclusion of our class' earlier focus on the September 11th ten year anniversary. One which started with the A Look Back to the Future exhibition on our LaGuardia C.C. campus and continued with the September 11 exhibition at MoMA PS1. 

Although I was a little overwhelmed by how much security there was, I mean this is a memorial for Pete's sake, I was happy to be there. I doubt that I would have visited the site outside of classroom obligations considering my busy schedule, so I was glad it was part of the curriculum. It gave me a nice memory to call upon when I need to share an interesting anecdote.

We began at the south pool where the south tower once stood and I decided to trace over the name I first came upon. It read "Raymond Meisenheimer", an unlucky firefighter who perished on September 11, 2001 because of his courage. As I saw his name come to life on my paper, I wondered how his life was like and about the people he left behind that loved him very much. It is heartbreaking. The place was full of tourists, mourners and New Yorkers that wanted to experience the feel of the etched names, the water arisen by the wind and the overall feeling of loss and recovery the site brings.

This memorial is the place where we can grieve the unfortunate ones who were taken away so suddenly. From them, may we learn to appreciate all the wonderful people in our lives because we never know if we might lose them. The family and friends we love and care for, or even the waitress who knows exactly how I want my coffee in the morning and wishes me a nice day. Through a tragedy we have grown into better people around here, and it continues to show way after ten years.

1 comment:

  1. Wonderful blog post! I am glad you enjoyed the trip even if it was a tragic circumstance that created it.

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