NORWICH – The Chenango County Council of the Arts has been chosen as one of 30 sites across the state to host an exhibition in recognition of the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The exhibition was loaded into the facility on Wednesday and will be open to the public Monday.
Thanks to the efforts of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Museum, the public will have a chance to view historical artifacts from the 9/11 attacks as well as pictures and memorabilia from the victim’s families at sites across the state.
“The load-in process went very well,” said CCCA Executive Director Victoria Kappel. “And we feel privileged to have been chosen for such an important event.”
The Council of the Arts, located on West Main St. in downtown Norwich, will house the exhibition in its Mareia Brown and Raymond Loft Gallery.
The entire procedure was an ambitious one on the part of the state as they attempted to deliver each exhibition in one day. At 10 a.m., the truck pulled into the parking lot of the Council of the Arts and was unloaded and gone within 30 minutes.
However, the banners and artifacts from the state are not the only pieces of interest at the Norwich exhibit. Artifacts, memorabilia and artwork were donated by members of the Norwich Police and Fire Departments along with the board that stood in West Park immediately following the 9/11 attacks, which showcases hundreds of messages of grief, hope, and prayer from members of the community.
“We have had so much cooperation from the Police and Fire Departments,” said Kappel. “We appreciate that they have shared their art and memories ... it lends an extremely personal touch to the gallery exhibit.”
Members of the departments were also on hand to help load the exhibit into the gallery.
Police Chief Joseph Angelino expressed his commitment to the project and said he wanted the exhibit to ring true on a local level as well as on the state and national levels.
“We want everyone to be able to appreciate this in as many ways as possible,” he said. Angelino and a number of officers volunteered immediately after the attacks to transport packages to the families of the victims and had a chance to visit the site of the twin towers while they “were still smoking” and emergency management teams were “still doing recovery work.”
With the help of the officers and firemen, the exhibit was completely set-up by noon and will be ready for the opening on Monday, when a representative from Cuomo’s office will be on hand for questions.
According to Carrie Bernardi, a representative from the New York State museum who was on site at the load-in, the process went smoothly and quickly.
Among the pieces that will be available to view through the end of September are a piece of the fuselage of one of the planes, a fire department callboard from the day of the attacks, and pieces of the towers that were recovered by members of the Norwich Police Department.
Two individuals from Norwich were lost on that tragic day, which Kappel said she believes makes this exhibit all the more important to the community.
“[Norwich] has always had that connection which will make this exhibit that much more special,” she said.
The gallery will be open extra hours to allow as many members of the community as possible to view the exhibition. For times and dates, contact the Chenango County Council of the Arts at 336-2787.