LMCC Commemorates September 11th
Sep. 09, 2011
To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of September 11th, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), a former World Trade Center tenant, launched InSite: Art + Commemoration, a series of free public arts events and a special multimedia website that reflect on a decade of recovery, visioning and change in Downtown New York.
Founded shortly after the World Trade Center’s opening in 1972, LMCC has brought art and culture to Downtown New York for nearly 40 years. On September 11, 2001, when the towers were destroyed, LMCC lost one of its artists-in-residence, Michael Richards, along with its offices, residency spaces, and cultural archives. Since then, LMCC has spearheaded efforts to rebuild the neighborhood through ambitious arts projects, including a $5 million Downtown Cultural Grants initiative, the River To River Festival, now in its tenth season, and the transformation of more than 300,000 square feet of vacant real estate into artist studios and exhibition spaces.
PKPR implemented a comprehensive strategy that included securing an in-depth feature on the history of LMCC’s work in the Wall Street Journal - “Arts Continue to Blossom in Post 9/11 Manhattan”—a segment on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show, and features in Newsday and The New York Daily News. LMCC’s initiative was also prominently included in round-ups of anniversary arts events, such as Associated Press, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, WNYC, WNET, Metropolis Magazine, Art in America, and ArtNet.