Art of Remembrance

The NC State Crafts Center will host a memorial ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States experienced a series of terrorist attacks – the largest in the nation’s history. These events changed the country dramatically and set the stage for a world few could ever have imagined. Generations of our students will bear the weight of these catastrophic threats to a peaceful democracy. Understanding the historical significance of 9/11 is profound and relevant in order to gain a perspective on current and future global challenges.

On Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, the NC State Crafts Center will host a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The event takes place in Stewart Theatre beginning at 7 p.m. The program of music, dance, poetry and reflection will feature Mark Evans ‘16, Charles Moretz ’72, North Carolina poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green, director of Military and Veterans Services Nick Drake, student performers from the Department of Music and Dance Program, and Chancellor Randy Woodson.

The memorial ceremony is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. The event will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

Two NC State College of Design alums who are speaking at the ceremony have unique connections to the 9/11 tragedy. After graduating in 1972, Charles Moretz moved to New York City to pursue a career as a professional photographer. During a time of financial crisis in the city, two majestic structures – the twin towers of the World Trade Center – were being constructed in lower Manhattan. The buildings became Moretz’s muse. He photographed them from every angle, in various stages of light, and from every visible location in the city. Eventually, his large-format photos would be displayed on the walls of the Windows on the World restaurant at the top of the North Tower. Mark Evans was in the World Trade Center when the first plane hit and he escaped. Years later, as a graduate student at NC State, he created “Sound of September: a 9/11 Sonic Narrative,” a tribute to those who died and those who survived.

In fall 2021, the Crafts Center will exhibit photographs by Charles Moretz in the R.A. Bryan Gallery. An opening reception featuring Moretz begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. The exhibition runs through Nov. 5, and will include work of sculptor Ann Cowperthwaite and mixed media artist Carol Fountain Nix, director of the NC State Crafts Center.

Face coverings are required in all indoor spaces on the NC State campus regardless of vaccination status (the latest updates to campus community standards are available at ncsu.edu/coronavirus).

The events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 are made possible through the NC State University Foundation’s Crafts Center Enhancement Fund.