Through its History Responds program, the New-York Historical Society is presenting a wide array of exhibitions and public programs this month in observation of the second anniversary of the events of September 11. These programs include exhibitions that feature artwork, photography and other media created in response to the tragedy.

The exhibitions include:

Fathers and Children: Loss and Remembrance, September 11

This exhibition offers reflections on a small number of fathers and sons who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and others who were deeply involved in the effort to rescue and recover victims of the attacks. Its genesis was a series of 10 emotionally compelling portraits of "firefighter dads" searching for their lost sons at Ground Zero taken by New York City photographer Gary Suson. Also featured will be a memorial shrine created by the children of Joe Mistrulli, a carpenter who was killed while working at Windows on the World; the uniform of World Trade Center maintenance worker Mon Gjonbalaj, donated to the New-York Historical Society by his son; family photos of late Fire Chief William Feehan, and more.

New York: In the Light of Memory

In the aftermath of September 11, Long Island artist Christopher Evans was moved to create this unique panoramic work of art: a meticulously detailed, technically impressive painting of the view from the top of WTC Tower 2, executed on a 24-foot Plexiglas sphere. The work, which depicts the top of WTC 1 and the surrounding metropolitan-area skyline, is designed to be contemplated from all sides as a sort of inversion of a traditional panorama. The breathtaking view memorialized is from a vantage point now lost to history.

Radical Hospitality

This exhibition chronicles the extraordinary spirit and outpouring of support that arose in New York City in the wake of September 11. Radical Hospitality will draw upon artifacts, photographs, banners and posters, children's art and video to reveal the story of how ordinary people pitched in to provide comfort, support and amenities to the rescue and recovery workers at the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. The exhibition is organized geographically, starting in midtown Manhattan with the supply distribution centers hurriedly created at the Jacob Javits Center and the piers along the Hudson River, heading downtown on West Street along the "Hero Highway" to Point Thank You at Christopher Street, where well-wishers cheered and held up hand-lettered and decorated signs expressing their appreciation as rescue vehicles traveled to and from the site. It then goes on to Nino's Restaurant on Canal Street, which opened its doors around the clock and supplied the recovery workers with food, drink, and a place to unwind from their grueling tasks; then to St. Paul's Chapel, a spiritual and physical haven for the workers; and finally to Ground Zero and the ceremonies that marked the end of the recovery and cleanup operations.

The New-York Historical Society also will feature exhibitions in observance of the events of September 11 later this year and in 2004. These future exhibitions include:

Recovery: The World Trade Center Recovery Operation at Fresh Kills
November 25, 2003 -- March 21, 2004

This traveling exhibition from the New York State Museum documents the historic operation at the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island (September 2001 -- July 2002) to recover human remains, personal objects and material evidence from the collapse of the World Trade Center. The exhibition includes 50 photographs that trace the recovery progress, offering the viewer a rare glimpse of hidden history. Mountains of debris, workers at the sifting belts and raking fields, the landscape of the operation, and recovered objects are the subjects of many images. A compelling group of objects in the exhibition represents a spectrum of material retrieved from the World Trade Center collapse. Individual personal property is not included in the exhibition.

Grand Old Flag, Rediscovered
June -- September 2004

This component of the exhibition It's a Grand Old Flag will focus on flags used following the September 11 attack and how a new generation of Americans have rediscovered the power of Old Glory. As part of the Society's History Responds project, a number of these meaningful new examples of this historic symbol will become part of the permanent collection.

The New-York Historical Society, located at West 77th Street and Central Park West, is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.