Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Locations for 30 New York State 9/11 Exhibits Announced

Locations Will Open the Week of August 29 and Run Through End of September

Governor Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Museum, and the today announced the locations for thirty "New York Remembers" exhibitions that are being organized as part of a statewide recognition of the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The exhibitions will give New Yorkers a place to remember the victims of September 11th and honor the countless heroes who came from all corners of the state to help in the clean-up and recovery efforts. The exhibitions will feature historical artifacts from the collections of the State Museum and National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Each location will open during the week of August 29th and continue until the end of September. All will be open on Sunday, September 11th.

Many of the artifacts being exhibited have never been seen by the public, including: the trailer used by families visiting Ground Zero that includes photographs and messages; damaged emergency vehicles and other vehicle parts; aluminum and glass from the buildings; religious "symbol steel" created by the workers at the site; and airplane fragments including landing gear and engine parts. The stories behind all the artifacts will be told as part of the exhibitions.

"Every community across New York felt the impact of the senseless acts of terrorism that claimed thousands of lives just one decade ago," Governor Cuomo said.

"These exhibitions will give New Yorkers in towns, villages, and cities all across the state a gathering place to once again stand as one community to make sure we never forget those who lost their lives on September 11th and to embrace the spirit of unity that brought us together on that day of devastating tragedy."

Joe Daniels, President of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said, "As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, people from all around the state, country, and world will reunite to remember how we were all affected by the attacks. We're grateful for the opportunity to help the State of New York tell the story of 9/11 through some of our authentic artifacts from the World Trade Center. This comprehensive statewide exhibition will give New Yorkers the chance to pay tribute to those killed on 9/11 and recognize the global outpouring of compassion we saw in the minutes, days, and weeks that followed."

"Every New Yorker should know what happened on 9/11. Through New York Remembers, citizens in communities across the State will be better able to reflect on and understand our tragic and shared history of September 11, 2001. The Regents and I believe that these are compelling exhibits which bring the scope and reach of the State Museum's artifacts and images to all New Yorkers," stated
Dr. John B. King, Jr., New York State Education Commissioner.

Paula Berry, 9/11 Memorial Board Member and family member, commented, "We have an obligation to preserve and share the history of 9/11 with as many people as possible. Our hope is this exhibition will serve as a reminder of what happened that day, a representation of how we came together as a city, state, and nation, and a symbol of the love we will always feel for those we lost, including David, my husband."

Lee A. Ielpi, President of the September 11th Families' Association said, "I've committed the past ten years to ensuring that the stories of September 11th are kept alive. I want to honor the memory of all of the victims of those terrorist attacks, including my son Jonathan, and I want people to remember the tens of thousands of people who reached out to help total strangers on the 11th and in the aftermath. I strongly believe we need to teach young people everywhere about all aspects of 9/11."

"The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 will be a very emotional time for all of us who lost loved ones on that terrible day. The 'New York Remembers' exhibitions will allow many others around the state to join with the thousands of families who were directly affected as we pause and reflect on what was lost and how our world has changed. Both the educational aspects of the exhibits and the presence of important artifacts from the site will allow people to pay tribute and remember the terrible tragedy of that day in a very personal and real way. I applaud the Governor and New York State Museum for supporting this effort and hope that people will take advantage of this very special opportunity to bear witness to the events of 9/11 for the time that these exhibits are available," stated
Tom Rogér, father of Jean Rogér, an American Airlines Flight 11 Flight attendant killed on September 11, 2001.

Alice M. Greenwald, Director of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said, "In advance of the 9/11 Memorial Museum opening in 2012, we're proud to have this opportunity to display some of our treasured artifacts across New York state. Authentic objects are crucial to understanding the story of 9/11, from the profound loss to the extraordinary heroism and depths of compassion. 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."

Additional comments by various New York City officials were published in a related article, which can be read at the following link: http://fromthegman.blogspot.com/2011/08/national-911-memorial-and-museum-to.html

All of the objects are being moved and installed with existing state resources, including resources from the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The locations of the exhibitions are either in a public building or space, or have been provided to the state at no cost.

The following is a list of exhibition locations:

Buffalo:
Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College

Syracuse:
The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology

Utica:
Mohawk Valley Community College

Watertown:
Dulles State Office Building

Binghamton:
Binghamton University

Stony Brook:
Stony Brook University

Jamestown:
Jamestown Municipal Building

Niagara Falls:
The Conference Center Niagara Falls

Batavia:
City Hall

Geneva:
Geneva Public Library

Auburn:
Cayuga Community College

Elmira:
Clemens Center

Ithaca:
Rothschild Building at Ithaca Commons

Plattsburgh:
City Hall

Monticello:
Sullivan County Government Center

Middletown:
SUNY Orange

Poughkeepsie:
Dutchess Community College

Saratoga Springs:
City Center

Amsterdam:
Riverfront Center

Suffern:
SUNY Rockland Community College

Norwich:
Council of the Arts

Oneonta:
Yager Museum of Art & Culture at Hartwick College

Hudson:
FASNY Museum of Firefighting

Lake Placid:
Lake Placid Convention Center

Potsdam:
SUNY Potsdam

Rochester:
Rochester Museum and Science Center

White Plains:
White Plains Library

Mahopac:
Mahopac Library

Rockville Centre:
Recreation Center

Albany:
State Museum/Empire State Plaza

With more than 2,000 artifacts, the New York State Museum is the nation's largest repository of objects recovered from the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. Within weeks of the attacks, State Museum staff documented the operations at the WTC site and later spent countless hours at the WTC Recovery Operation at Fresh Kills where all the material was inspected. In the 10 months that followed the attacks, the FBI and NYPD recovered over 50,000 pieces of personal property. The museum also documented the Fresh Kills operation with hundreds of photographs, interviews, and films.

The FBI and NYPD transferred all artifacts to the Museum after they were designated non-essential to the crime scene as neither criminal evidence nor personal property. Items include rescue artifacts, building pieces, everyday artifacts, and other objects from the site. No object collected from Fresh Kills by the State Museum was kept if it could be identified as owned by an individual. Vehicles like a FDNY truck were signed over to the State Museum by the FDNY via a deed of gift by the specific agency. Forty-nine pieces of the two airplanes that crashed into the towers were transferred to the State Museum by the FBI. These include fuselage, interior, and engine parts.

The State Museum also has a significant collection of sympathy material from the New York City area, New York State, and across the world.

Image courtesy of http://publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com
Photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jim Watson, United States Navy
Permission: Public Domain

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