Sarah Yuster
Victory Boulevard at Dawn
Oil on canvas, 1985, 47” x 51”
Arc of Twenty Years
In the twenty years since 9/11, the way we see ourselves and each other as Americans has taken a marked trajectory spurred by one event.
Examining the “arc” Staten Island has experienced since 9/11, this exhibition offers insight, imagery, and dialogue about the changes on our island after the attacks. The work by the artists honors the memories of the people killed, reflects our collective pain, and illuminates efforts for resolution.
270 Staten Islanders died on September 11, 2001, many first responders. The identity of the Island changed. Not everyone lost a loved one that day, but everyone knew someone who did. We grieved as a community for friends and neighbors.
Staten Island is, in many ways, a microcosm of the United States in terms of ethnicities, economics, and ideologies. An immediate and long-term aftermath rippled through the country. The initial agony of three-thousand innocent lives lost at once, ensuing spasms of fury and fear, were felt intensely here. Empathy, camaraderie, and unity soared for weeks, galvanizing New Yorkers, but quickly dissipated into dissenting factions.
Patriotism rose, but it also formed into nationalism and xenophobia within many communities. Security measures and surveillance grew exponentially. Air travel became an odyssey of checkpoints and restrictions, privacy seemingly became non-existent, as did any public expectation of having it.
Arc of Twenty Years offers reflection, consideration and a wider view of our history.
— Sarah Yuster and Michael McWeeney, Curators
New York City Firefighter John Santore was the unofficial captain of the Noble Crew, the coalition of private citizens and businesses that contributed $1 million worth of labor and materials to the rehabilitation of Building D, the museum’s home. Santore suggested leaving a part of the building as it was before the rehabilitation so that visitors could see the contrast and appreciate the meticulous restoration done by the volunteers. His suggestion became the exhibition on the museum’s third floor commemorating the Crew’s work.
After Santore was killed during the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Crew convened to dedicate the exhibition to him.
John Santore, Rescue 5, NYFD
This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and by a grant from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.
