Art Now: Nationwide Artistic Responses to September 11 and its Aftermath
26/01/2002
National Coalition Against Censorship Launches Clearinghouse of Nationwide Artistic Responses to September 11 and Online Discussion Forum Among Artists
The National Coalition Against Censorship's (NCAC) ART NOW web site (www.ncac.org) is being inaugurated several months after the collapse that shook our private and public worlds. ART NOW is an online register of artistic responses to September 11 and its aftermath in different media as they develop from documentations and memorials to critical explorations of the present and imaginary journeys into other lives and possible futures.
It will certainly take more time to transform the initial shock into art. For the time being, a lot of what we see, hear and read tries to come to terms with the event by representing it, by telling the stories of witnesses of the World Trade Center collapse on September 11. The first reaction is to document - to share photographs, to record people's narratives. Documenting serves to forge a collective memory which is also a collective understanding: when we turn a singular event into a story, we are also helping integrate it into the flow of life, to understand how our lives have changed and, thus, to imagine life after the tragedy. By far the largest proportion of art produced immediately after September 11 has been art of commemoration. We have collected only a selection of commemorative art as it is practically impossible to enumerate all of the street memorial shrines, the photographs and paintings of the Twin Towers, the material bearing witness to the labor of firemen a! nd rescue workers.
Several months after the attacks, our country is at war and confronting world re-defining political issues. We believe that, besides commemoration, besides the solace provided by beauty, besides the escape of quiet and stately museum spaces, art can offer a greater understanding of ourselves and others, a heightened awareness of daily life, and a necessary political critique. Art can free our perception of set patterns and allow us to see the present differently as well as to imagine alternative futures.
The National Coalition Against Censorship's ART NOW web site contains information about concrete responses to the attacks and their aftermath from artists, curators, writers, musicians, and filmmakers, as well as performance spaces, museums and art-related web sites. We are adding projects daily and still looking for work that provides a perspective on the current state of the world as defined by recent events in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
The ART NOW Discussion Forum is concurrently hosting a conversation among artists on the ethical, political and historical aspects of creative expression in times of crisis. Live debates -- on issues of sensitivity and appropriateness, free expression and political critique, and the relevance of art now -- have been much bolder in the strength and diversity of opinions expressed than what has appeared as opinion articles in the press. With this online forum we want to bring the boldness and freedom of live dialogue to a space which crosses state and national lines and engages people of all backgrounds in a free conversation about things that matter to us. Please join us in this conversation by posting your own thoughts and questions on the discussion forum (www.ncac.org/discus).
And please tell us about your projects - even if they are in the planning stage, even if they are just concepts. This might be a way to find others who will collaborate with you and help you bring your ideas to life. To let us know about your project, contact Rebecca Metzger. Phone: 212.807.6222 x16 / Fax: 212.807.6245 / E-mail: rmetzger@ncac.org.
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is an alliance of 51 national non-profit organizations, including religious, educational, professional, artistic, labor, and civil rights groups, committed to defending freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression. For more information about NCAC, visit us on-line at www.ncac.org.
Contact: Rebecca Metzger
Phone: 212-807-6222 x16
