CHARTING GROUND ZERO: TEN YEARS AFTER
Seen from great heights, the hole left at Ground Zero seems even more shocking than those now-familiar close up photos of the smoldering ruins. But if the aerial view disturbs as it reveals the magnitude of destruction, it also provides a unique opportunity to view the event with a clarity that can only come from distance (and time). “Charting Ground Zero: Ten Years After” does just that — by using maps, cartographic representations and laser imaging to show the site’s evolution and rebirth over the last decade. Organized by Woodward Gallery, the original exhibition has traveled the country (and will ultimately be donated to the Memorial Museum at Ground Zero, for their permanent instillation). This updated version includes 2010 images produced with light detection and ranging (LIDAR) laser-based instruments mounted on planes — those unexpected weapons of 9/11. Free. Sept. 7-Oct. 23. At Woodward Gallery (133 Eldridge St.). Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm; Sun., 12-5pm; and by private appointment. Visit woodwardgallery.net or call 212-966-3411.
PAINTINGS FROM THE PERIMETER Since the mid-seventies, NYC resident Sally Pettus has exhibited paintings and sculptures throughout the city. In 2007, she was commissioned to make a large bronze fountain (“Quantum Leaf”) depicting the power of living, dying and regeneration. The sculpture is currently on display in Des Moines, Iowa. Closer to home, Pettus found herself walking the perimeter of Ground Zero (located near her studio). “Paintings From The Perimeter” depicts reflections of the new construction in polished granite and glass surfaces. Cranes perch on top of towers, I-beams are refracted in the windows of parked cars, and fragments of the other iconic buildings (including Trinity Church) record a moment in time and mark the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Sept. 1-17, at KS Art (73 Leonard St., btw. Broadway and Church St.). Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat., 12-6pm. For info, call 212-219-9918 or visit ksartonline.com and kerryschuss.com.
AN EVENING OF DANCE AND MUSIC Presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation, “In Performance: Com-memorating the 10th Anniversary of September 11:
An Evening of Dance and Music” features several prominent area artistic organizations in collaboration. The Limón Dance Company (with Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra) will present José Limón’s 1958 “Missa Brevis.” This “Mass in time of war” is performed by 18 dancers and features music by Zoltán Kodály (which was completed during WW II’s siege of Budapest). The Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s will present “Brandenburgs” — Paul Taylor’s 1988 work for six men and three women (featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 6). Also featured will be a new work by choreographer Jessica Lang. Free. At 5pm on Sat., Sept. 10 and Sun., Sept. 11; at The Nelson A. Rockefeller Park (North end of Battery Park City, west of River Terrace). For more info, visit joyce.org.
BROOKE JACKMAN FOUNDATION READ-A-THON Known to for her love of books — and her compassion for others — 23-year-old Brooke Jackman announced to her mother (on the evening of September 10, 2001) that she was planning to leave her lucrative job in order to get an M.S.W. at Berkeley’s School of Social Work so that she could help disadvantaged children. In memory of the pledge that was cut short when she went to work at the World Trade Center the next morning, The Brook Jackman Foundation was created. The organization will celebrate 10 years of promoting children’s literacy with a two-part Read-A-Thon event. A one-hour stage show will feature performances by the popular teen rockers Care Bears on Fire, spoken word poets Justin Long-Moton and Ishmael Islam (from Urban Word NYC) and the Bari Koral Family Rock Band — as well as readings by Symphony Space founder Isaiah Sheffer and WNYC’s John Schaefer. They’ll be joined by elected officials, children’s authors and uniformed heroes of 9/11 (all of whom will read from some of their favorite works). Following the performance, there will be a “break-out” reading session for kids and families. Free. Sat., Sept. 10, 12-2pm. At the World Financial Center Winter Garden (220 Vesey St.). For more info, visit brookejackmanfoundation.org.
MAKE LOVE A singing, dancing, strutting Liza Minnelli might not be the first image that comes to mind when asked to conjure up a source of strength in times of trouble — but in the 9/11 tribute “Make Love,” it seems appropriate (and even respectful, in a not-so-strange but definitely weird way). Shortly after 9/11, internationally acclaimed performance artist Karen Finley decided to set some of her reflections to jazz piano. A few performances later, she knew the magnitude of the event required a larger than life persona whose own rise from the ruins would serve as both metaphor and medicine. One cabaret-style makeover later, “Make Love” was (re)born. First presented in 2003, this slightly updated version features Finley, drag performer and artist Chris Tanner, pianist Lance Cruce and a rotating roster of Liza Minnelli impersonators. “Liza Minnelli is New York,” reasons Finley. “She keeps on trying. After her hip replacement, she still gets up and dances. Every time she gets knocked down, she gets right back up.” We should all be so lucky.
At 7:30pm on Sat., Sept. 3, 10, 17. At The Laurie Beechman Theatre, inside West Bank Café (407 W. 42nd St., at 9th Ave.). For tickets ($22, plus $15 per food/drink minimum), call 212-352-3101 or visit spincyclenyc.com.
Image courtesy of the artist and KS Art
“On Granite Wall, Liberty Street” (Oil On Canvas, 48×48; April 2011). See “Paintings from the Perimeter.”
