Press

Recovery and Response, phase 2 of the New York State Museum's World Trade Center exhibition, opens to the public on February 1 featuring a major collection of objects, architectural elements, rare images, video and sound that chronicle this chapter of the nation's worst terrorist attack.

When the first phase of The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response opened last September, it was the nation's first permanent museum exhibition of artifacts documenting the September 11th attack at the World Trade Center. It focuses on the Rescue effort, featuring the heavily damaged Engine 6 pumper that was one of the first fire vehicles to respond to the World Trade Center.

"The museum visitor will come away from this exhibition with a deeper knowledge about the everyday life of the World Trade Center, the attacks on September 11th, the historic recovery operations and the overwhelming public response," said State Education Commissioner Richard Mills. "This exhibition includes the many voices, images and objects that are now part of our history. We feel privileged to bring this tragic and heroic New York story to the public at the State Museum."

"This second phase of the World Trade Center exhibition tells the rest of the story of what happened in the months following September 11th, both at ground zero and at Fresh Kills, the 'city on the hill,' " said State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried. "The exhibition shines a light on the many unsung heroes who worked tirelessly at both sites, shows some of what they recovered and offers a close-up view of the incredible memorials that appeared across the nation as a sign of the public's unprecedented support."

Recovery begins at ground zero with the exhibition of a dramatically damaged 20-foot high, 10-ton steel column from floors 71-74 of the World Trade Center north tower. Also on view are pieces of the aluminum facade of the towers, a World Trade Center building sign, a hard hat and gloves from a steelworker who worked at ground zero, and images of the recovery operation. A graphic panel explains "How the Towers Fell," along with a computer program that has information about the history of the World Trade Center buildings, American disasters and terrorist attacks against Americans.

A large new exhibition section tells the story of the massive evidence recovery operation at Fresh Kills through hundreds of images, photo murals, and many recovered rare objects from ground zero. A computer program is installed where visitors see visual inventory of the State Museum's World Trade Center collection and a FBI video of the Fresh Kills recovery operation.

The objects recovered from the mountains of debris at Fresh Kills include a car's steering wheel, floppy discs melted together and a payphone. The everyday life of the World Trade Center is reflected in rare objects such as a telephone handset, (one of two found), a doll from a retail store and souvenirs from the World Trade Center observation deck. A large collection of firearms found in the debris from building 6 are included, along with several destroyed street lampposts, fire hydrants and an elevator door from one of the trade towers. Hanging overhead is a protective suit worn at the Fresh Kills landfill, a rake, and several signs from the recovery operation.

Also on view are three large pieces of the airplanes that crashed into the towers. This includes the wheel assembly from one of the planes, a piece of fuselage and a steel World Trade Center beam with a piece of an airplane embedded in it. Exhibit graphics explain the crashes.

The Response gallery includes a selection of objects from the State Museum's large collection of memorial material that was part of the outpouring of public response to 9-1-1. Because there is so much material available, it will be rotated in and out of this gallery. In a large 25-foot wide exhibit case is part of a fence, preserved in its entirety, which stood near ground zero, on Broadway, at Liberty Street. It is covered with memorial flags, banners, photographs and flowers. Preserved sections of the viewing platform at ground zero are also on display, along with objects from Nino's, the restaurant that became a refuge for workers. Also included are copper medallions made from the World Trade Center metal and a large painting by a California artist.

An intimate film space shows short films and videos about the history of the World Trade Center, the September 11th attacks and the rescue that followed. Four sound stations in the next room allow visitors to listen to a menu of more than 25 audio pieces. One is on the history of the World Trade Center and others feature interviews - some with people whose lives were intertwined with the trade towers and others with police and FBI about ground zero and the Fresh Kills recovery operation.

A traveling exhibition, "Recovery: The World Trade Center Recovery Operation at Fresh Kills," organized by the New York State Museum, opens at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland in the fall of 2003, and the New-York Historical Society in November 2003. The exhibition includes 50 rare images and 30 objects from the World Trade Center from the State Museum collections.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.