Taking Something For Granted
My Visit To Ground Zero
Autumn In New York Multimedia Art Project
All artwork, writing and photography Karen E. Stober © August 2002
| Manhatten Skyline about 11AM on the morning of September 11, 2001. | |||||||||
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The smoke is from where the Twin Towers were only an hour ago. I am about 30 miles from Manhatten here. In the photo, one can
make out the control Tower of Newark Airport, where
United Flight 93
took off less than two hours earlier and crashed about an hour earlier.
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Days later, when I inspected my photos at the shop, everybody in the store gathered around me, wanting to see my September 11 photos.
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About a month later, in the Newark Star-Ledger, I read about ways to participate in memorializing September 11.
One of them was the
The September 11 Photo Project.
Send in photos, whatever, up to a certain size and we will display all in the gallery in SoHo.
It's only a $1 for a print, including mailing, so I sent one in, along with a brief write-up, never expecting anything to come of it.
Here is what I wrote: I included a guide to what the photo showed, “Twin Towers were here”, with an arrow, “September 11, 2001, about 11AM, Taken From Washington Rock State Park, Green Brook, NJ, Kodak Pro 1000 film, photo has been darkened to bring smoke out”.
“The next day I was returning from a day at the NJ shore
Imagine my surprise when I got the following emails.
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Reply-To: “The September 11 Photo Project” <webmaster@sep11photo.org>
From: “The September 11 Photo Project” <webmaster@sep11photo.org> To: (about a hundred ids here) Subject: Important Message from The September 11 Photo Project Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 23:25:46 -0500 Organization: The September 11 Photo Project Dear Contributor:
The SoHo exhibition has received thousands of submissions and over thirty thousand visitors since opening just over two months ago. We are so moved by people’s response-visitors from all over the world have come, many staying for hours and returning to see it again. The unique features of the project-providing an open forum for people to share their experiences related to the events of September 11th-have attracted worldwide attention and helped many come to terms with the tragedy. We have been working with others who share the project’s goals to bring the exhibit to those who couldn’t make it to New York City. We are currently finalizing plans for an eight-city, nationwide tour, which will kick off in Washington, D.C. in late-February. In conjunction with the Discovery Channel, we are working on a one-hour documentary about the project and its contributors that will air next Spring. Also, we have put together a top team to publish a hardcover book, allowing people to bring the project experience home and to raise money to support the project and The New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation. 100% of the money the project raises in the sale of the book will go toward our charitable efforts. We would love to be able to include your submission in the book and to display it on our nationwide tour. In order to do that we need you to give us written permission to use your submission (our lawyer says so!). Attached you will find a permission form, which we need you fill out and return by fax (212-202-6269), mail, or in person. We need this form as soon as possible, as the book deadline is very soon. If you have any questions, please contact me at our website, michael@sep11photo.org, or on my cell phone, (646) 321-8305. Finally, the exhibition will be closing January 6, 2002, and we are planning an event to commemorate the SoHo installation, and to thank you and your fellow contributors, as well as all who made the project possible. An invitation will follow once details are finalized.
Again, my thanks and best holiday wishes,
Subject: PDF Release For The September 11 Photo Project Please return the forms as soon as possible -- fax is the fastest(212) 202-6269 or if that is not possible the forms can be dropped off at the project space or mailed to us at 26 Wooster St., NY,NY 10013. The response from participants has been wonderful and we look forward to being able to include your work for consideration in the book. For those on this list who have already given us their release form, there is no need to reply to this message.
Kind regards, and warm holiday wishes, Finally, the exhibition will be closing January 6, 2002, and we are planning an event to commemorate the SoHo installation, and to thank you and your fellow contributors, as well as all who made the project possible. An invitation will follow once details are finalized.
Again, my thanks and best holiday wishes, |
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Closing reception in honor of paticipants in The September 11 Photo Project Invitation to The Closing Reception for The September 11 Photo Project Participants and their loved ones are invited to a closing reception for The Project this Sunday, January 6th from 5-7 pm at 26 Wooster Street. The details are as follows: When: From 5 until 7 PM this Sunday January 6th Where: 26 Wooster St. Special Event: a group photo of all contributors to be included in a soon to be published book of worldwide release. The photo will take place at 6 PM. Please come and see the project with its collection of over 3,000 photos with text, meet some of the hundreds of fellow contributors and sponsors of the project, and hear details of the upcoming tour schedule and book. We hope to see you there, Kind Regards, Michael Feldschuh The September 11 Photo Project p.s. If you have not given us your release form to participate in the book project, please bring it with you or fill one out at the project space.
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Here are two photos I took at the closing reception.
It was quite an experience. So very many incredible photos, so many faces in them that told many stories. No chance at all for my little plain old photo to make it into any book, or so I thought. |
My little photo is in the center of this shot. My letter was hung next to it but my sister's point and shoot could not focus on anything closer than where this shot was taken from, or you would see it. I did not take my camera as my sister had a roll in hers she wanted finished. Unfortunately, the darn camera chose to auto-rewind at 15 shots instead of 25, else I would have had far more photos of the closing. I was starting a panoramic shot and the camera rewound. No more film had I. |
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A group shot was taken at the closing reception. I got as far as the fourth row from the front. Then somebody said we could sit on the floor.
So I asked, “Can I fit up there? Is there room?” Sure enough, there was. So, in front of hundreds of people, I am right in the
very bottommost left side of the shot, which is featured on page 196 - 197 of the September 11 Photo Project book.
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The show closed and moved to the Women In The Military Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary, near Washington DC and The Pentagon. All participants got the Arlington opening invitation, pdf file download. |
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Subject: The September 11 Photo Project -- Book Launch and Tour Information Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 13:33:35 -0500 Organization: The September 11 Photo Project Dear Project Participants: The September 11 Photo Project, which you made possible with your creativity, strength, and generosity, has begun its nationwide tour and completed its book. The book is now available exclusively through the project, and will be released internationally by our publishers Harper Collins on April 16th. The Project has left SoHo and begun its tour at the Nation’s Capital. -- what we started 12 blocks from ground zero is now providing others outside New York an opportunity to bear witness to the atrocity and begin to come to terms with it. The exhibition is on display in the Washington, D.C. area-near the Pentagon-a natural first stop for the national tour. Several thousand people have visited the exhibition in its first week there. Submissions are coming in from local residents and visitors. The reaction has been astounding; people continue to tell us how meaningful it is for them to be able to share their stories in a public place, and how moved they are by seeing the photographs and reading the words of others. The exhibition is housed in the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a beautiful and reflective place that perfectly suits the spirit of the project. It will be on display there through April 7, 2002, and we encourage all who can to make their way there if possible. The project is proud to release its 208 page large hardcover color book -The September 11 Photo Project. After months of dedicated effort and difficult choices, we finally have a beautifully-made, portable version of the project, which we hope provides some of the experience of seeing the project in person. While we could not include in the book all 4,000 works we have received, the book reflects the democratic objectives of the project. Well over 300 photographs from more than 150 contributors are included in the 208 pages of the book. Some large, others small, some accompanied by words, others unadorned, some covering the page, others shot as they hung on the wall, everything in the book, like everything on the gallery walls, shows the diversity and humanity of the project participants. Perhaps the best visual example of those qualities in the book comes across in the beautiful two-page photograph of you-the project participants at the closing reception in SoHo. You made this book possible, and we hope it provides you with a positive and healing experience in the same way the project did. Sample pages of the book can be viewed on the web site at The September 11 Photo Project, and we invite everyone to view the work. The Project received an advanced shipment of 1000 books three days ago, and the response has been wonderful. It costs $29.95, and can be purchased by phone toll-free 800-222-2294 (703-533-1155 VA local number) or over our web site. Purchasing the book from the project directly helps its charitable work greatly, as more than 50% of the cover price proceeds goes to support the project and its affiliated charities (the remainder to production costs and middlemen). The book ships immediately, and exclusively through the project until April 16th, when it will be released internationally and available in bookstores as well. To order the book securely over the Internet go to our website, The September 11 Photo Project. Thank you again for your support. With Kind Regard, The September 11 Photo Project Staff |
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Subject: Your photos are featured in the new book “The September 11 Photo Project” Dear Project Participants: The September 11 Photo Project, which you made possible with your creativity, strength, and generosity, has begun its nationwide tour and completed its book. Your photos and text were selected from over 4,000 works to be featured in the newly-relased book “The September 11 Photo Project”. The book which is published by HarperCollins is hardcover, 208 pages, full color, measures 9 5/8” X 11 7/8”, and has an introduction by Michael Feldschuh, the project founder. The book costs $29.95 and is available exclusively through the project until it will be released April 16th internationally. After months of dedicated effort and difficult choices, we finally have a beautifully-made, portable version of the project, which we hope provides some of the experience of seeing the project in person to people around the world. Some large, others small, some accompanied by words, others unadorned, some covering the page, others shot as they hung on the wall, everything in the book, like everything on the gallery walls, shows the diversity and humanity of the project participants. Perhaps the best visual example of those qualities in the book comes across in the beautiful two-page photograph of you-the project participants at the closing reception in SoHo. You made this book possible, and we hope it provides you with a positive and healing experience in the same way the project did. Sample pages of the book can be viewed on the web site at The September 11 Photo Project. and we invite everyone to view the work.The Project received an advanced shipment of 1000 books eight days ago, and the response has been wonderful. Books can be purchased by phone toll-free 800-222-2294 (703-533-1155 VA local number) from 8:30 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, or over our web site. Purchasing the book from the project directly helps its charitable work greatly, as more than 50% of the cover price proceeds goes to support the project and its affiliated charities (the remainder to production costs and middlemen). The book ships immediately, and exclusively through the project until April 16th, when it will be released internationally and available in bookstores as well. To order the book securely over the Internet go to our website, The September 11 Photo Project. Congratulations, and thank you again for your support and participation, With Kind Regard, The September 11 Photo Project Staff
I bought three copies, one for myself and others that went to friends in England and Canada. When I got it, out of curiosity but expecting nothing, I glanced at the index in the back, which listed the names of all the people whose pieces made it to the book, just to see if I did. MAN, was I SHOCKED to see my name there!!! There, on pages 54 and 55, was my photo and letter. I took it to work and showed it to all. Then, it was on display as part of my multimedia Autumn In New York September 11 project, which are the next two pages of this part of my Web site, My Visit To Ground Zero and Autumn In New York Mixed Media Project. The photos on this page are also part of my mixed media art project. The book is “The September 11 Photo Project”, ed. Michael Feldschuh, ReganBooks, ISBN 0-6-050866-3. I was selected and published as one of only 150 photographers and 400 pieces from over 4000 submissions as best representing New York City and September 11, 2001.
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In late May, I recieved a largish package in the mail. It was my complimentary contributors copy of The September 11 Photo Project book. So now I have an extra for a gift. In it, was a letter from the publisher, HarperCollins Publishers. May 16, 2002
305 West broadway
Dear Project Participants, It is with gratitude for your contributions to this important project that HarperCollins and The September 11 Photo Project are sending this complimentary copy of the recently released book, “The September 11 Photo Project”. Your images and words have combined to make a moving testimony to the events of September 11 and their aftermath. We have recieved a very strong and positive response to the book. Additional copies can be ordered toll free at (800)222-2294 Monday Through Friday from 8am to 4pm or at our Web site. You can find additional information and tour location updates at the Project Web site The September 11 Photo Project web site, as well as the HarperCollins Web site at the HarperCollins Publishers web site. Thank you and warm regards,
Michael Feldschuh
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In December 2001, I visited Ground Zero, as the Twin Towers ruins came to be known. |
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Updates continue to come.
Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 12:09:44
Dear Karen Stober, With the anniversary of last fall's tragedy approaching, I thought I'd take the opportunity to bring you the latest news about the Project. There is much to tell since the project left SoHo in January to begin its nationwide tour. The response to the Project has been overwhelming--it has helped to heal, inform, and bring community and connectedness to people from around the world through the wonderful contributions of our participants. We have become a committed and professional organization that continues in its grass-roots philosophy of openness--the Project remains free for any to visit, and open to all to contribute, never turning anyone with photographs and writing away. The Project's collection has grown to over 5,500 photos, contributed from all over the world by people ranging in age from 7 to 85. We continue to accept submissions from local communities wherever we go, as well as from people around the world. The Project has visited Washington D.C., Sacramento, CA, Los Angeles, and is now on display at the largest library in the world, The Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago through September 21. Over 6,000 people a day are visiting the exhibit. Over 250,000 people have visited the Project in person, and over a million through the web. Our guest books are filled with moving thanks from people who have felt connected and at peace for the first time through the experience of bearing witness through the Project. Hundreds of thousands have seen our book, which reached number 1 on Amazon.com's bestseller list, and is rapidly headed toward a second printing after its first printing of 65,000 copies. First editions are still available through our web site and by calling 800-222-2294 (M-F, 8-4 PM). The Project and its work has been honored by the American Psychological Association at its annual meeting, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago (who contributed a photo and urged all citizens to visit the Project), and the Mayor and City of Sacramento (who presented us with a special proclamation). A documentary film based on Project's participants and our photos, “110 Stories”, will premiere nationwide on September 11 on The Learning Channel. Fox TV in New York will air 1-minute commemorative segments, which will feature photos from the Project and participants, throughout the day on September 11. The segments will also air in other cities around the country. We will also be featured in media around the world, including international cable (Fox), magazines (National Geographic), as well as newspapers. We've recently re-launched our web site, www.september11photo.org, which we hope you will visit. It contains our current tour information, photos of the show in various locations, information about our book, and a number of photos drawn from the Project's collection. The Project will travel next to the main branch of the Detroit Public Library, where it will be on display from October 15 through November 23. The Project now accepts fully tax-deductible donations through our fiscal sponsor, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, an arts organization whose studios and administrative offices were housed in the World Trade Center. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here: september11photo.kintera.org/contribution. We really could use your help, and we hope that those of you who are able to do so will make a donation, so that we can continue our work and bring the Project to more venues, both inside and outside the United States. We also welcome any suggestions you might have for possible sponsors or donors on a corporate level. I hope that you've found this letter informative, and that you will tell your friends about the Chicago and Detroit shows. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you have any Project-related thoughts, questions, or suggestions; meanwhile, I wish all of us a peaceful September 11th. Yours truly,
Michael Feldschuh
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Date: Thursday, 14 Aug 2003
Dear Participants and Friends of The September 11 Photo Project, I am proud to announce that the Project will be on display at the main branch of The New York Public Library at 42nd street and 5th avenue, beginning August 15th. All of the organizers and staff of the project felt strongly that following its two years of work, and successful nationwide tour, the project should have a final exhibition and permanent home at a major New York cultural institution that will preserve and display the work, free of charge for all to see. For this reason we are donating the entire collection to the New York Public Library which will preserve and make available the collection for future generations. As we approach the second anniversary of the attack, we again have an opportunity for reflection and community participation. The project has been an amazing outpouring of altruistic participation from people around the world -- we have collected the work of over 700 photographers from 40 countries; the project has been seen by over 300,000 people in person at its six locations around the country; we produced an eponymous book which sold over 50,000 copies and reached number one at Amazon.com in the weeks following its release, and we helped raise money for The New York City Firefighters Burn Foundation. Most important and moving of all has been the feedback from the visitors to the project -- through the comment books and email from people of all ages and nationalities we have seen how the project has allowed them to come to a deeper understanding of the events of September 11th and to share their experiences with others. The current installation of the project has been organized by the staff of The New York Public Library, and they have sought to include at least one photograph from EVERY participant in the project. In addition, there is a planned reception for all of the participants and friends of the Project scheduled for the early evening of September 9th. More details will follow. I invite everyone to come see the project in its current location -- many of the pictures will be new to your eyes, as we collected over a thousand photographs while on tour. It is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the views of others, reflect on the events and its aftermath, and to bear witness to the valuable contributions of others. I thank the dedicated and incredible staff and volunteers without whom the project would not have been possible, and whose tireless efforts showed the best of what people can do. In addition, I thank the wonderful host institutions and sponsors whose invaluable help at short notice made the tour possible. Most of all, I thank you for your participation and valuable contributions to the project, it has been a moving experience to be a part of the Project and we at the Project are grateful to have been of service. With warmest regards,
Michael Feldschuh Please click here , to go to the web site Please Click Here to download a press release of the exhibition and details of the library show. |
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Dear Karen, You are cordially invited to a reception on Tuesday, September 9, 6:00-7:30, on the occasion of a commemorative exhibition of as many as possible of the photographs from The September 11 Photo Project. The reception will be held at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library of The New York Public Library, at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room, 3rd Floor, Room 316. The exhibition is on view at the Library from August 15 through September 20, 2003. The Board of Directors of The September 11 Photo Project have chosen to donate to The New York Public Library the entire collection of photographs and written statements submitted to the Project by more than seven hundred individuals. The Library wishes to acknowledge its deepest gratitude to the founders, volunteers, and especially the contributing photographers of the Project for their generosity in entrusting the Library with this vital chapter of our nation's historical record.
Please RSVP: So, my photo is now in VERY good company, The New York Public Library. I did attend the reception. Many people, and a number of firemen came. Several firemen openly wept. |
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