VCU remembers 9/11

Campus-wide events explore the before and after of Sept. 11

Despite being more than 300 miles from Ground Zero, Richmond, along with the rest of the United States, will spend this Sept. 11 taking extra time to honor those affected by the historical events that took place 10 years ago. Community churches and law enforcement agencies will be holding their own events, but VCU begins their commemoration Friday night at the James Branch Cabell Library. Featured activities and presentations will be on display starting Sept. 6 and will run through Sept. 23.

In addition to VCU’s commemorative events, the city of Richmond will be hosting a special event Sunday morning at Byrd Park followed by a day of citywide service.

Sept. 6-23 at VCU’s James Branch Cabell Library

The programs at Cabell Library are collectively titled “9/11 Commemoration” and feature a collection of installations and exhibits open to the public. On Friday, Sept. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m., the library will hold an official opening reception.

The programs and installations are meant to explore 9/11 before and after and will feature four main parts:

• Wall of Memories: Inside the entryway of the library, visitors can add their brief reflections of the day on the provided blank wall.
• “World Trade Center Recordings: Winds After Hurricane Floyd” by Stephen Vitiello. VCU’s associate professor in the Department of Kinetic Imaging, Stephen Vitiello, will supply an installation of sound that he recorded from the 91st floor of the World Trade Center in 1999. The piece is also set to be part of the Museum of  Modern Art’s exhibition, “September 11.”
• Construction Prints of the World Trade Center, 1967-1973: In gallery space on the first floor of the library, detailed sketches of the World Trade Center will be displayed. The sketches were commissioned to document the progress of construction from beginning to end. The prints are also on loan from VCU Friends of the Library members, John Jay and Gail P. Schwartz.
• Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11: Cabell Library’s Special Collections and Archives put together three exhibits that draw from the university’s three major collections (the Comic Arts Collection, the Book Art Collection and university archives). The three prepared exhibits are titled “Comic Artists Respond to September 11, 2001,” “Artists’ Books Commemorate September 11” and “Richmond and 9-11: 10 Years Ago.”

The exhibits are on display in the fourth floor gallery area.

Sept. 10 at various locations

VCU’s University Student Commons and Activities Department sponsors “Into the Streets Service Plunge,” which will put seven teams of VCU students to work with seven different nonprofit agencies. Some projects include volunteering at the BARK no-kill animal shelter, landscaping Bryan Park and restoring Evergreen Cemetery.

Sept. 13 and 15 at the VCU Student Commons Theater

On Sept. 13, the Honors College, the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of History will present the PBS documentary “Objects and Memory.” The film was produced by Jonathan Fein, who will be discussing the film on Sept. 15 in the Commons Theater. The film explores the reasons behind the people who have taken to preserving objects in the aftermath of traumatic events like 9/11 and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Sept. 14 in the University Student Commons, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), Suite 215

As part of  OMSA’s Brown Bag Luncheon series, “Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11” will encourage student conversation about the cultural impact 9/11 had on the country and society. Conversations will focus on how society can attempt to move past such an event to create an inclusive and welcoming environment. The impact of governmental legislation since the event (like Homeland Security policies and the Patriot Act) and how these acts and policies affect different cultures and their treatment will also be discussed.

The city of Richmond will be participating in a day of service, completing tribute projects for the following organizations:

• Art on Wheels
• DLW Veterans Outreach and Training Center
• Swansboro Elementary
• William Byrd Community House
• Richmond Fire Department Stations 1, 10, 13, 17 and 18

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A full list of organizations can be found at www.richmond.gov