By Meredith Deliso
Never forget.
You’d be hard-pressed to find those who have ignored that urgent call, especially in the arts world. And as the 10th anniversary of the attacks on 9-11 approaches, our borough’s institutions, artists and community organizations have taken this opportunity to remember through music, song and dance.
“There is a natural relationship between the arts and expression, and music often provides a positive outlet for emotions not otherwise expressed,” said Karen Geer, executive director of the Brooklyn Conservatory, which has organized one such remembrance on Sept. 11. “It is our hope that we will be able to provide the community with an open and meaningful platform for expression through music, as well as words, silence or other art forms.”
She surely speaks for all organizers who have put together stirring programs inspired by or in honor or the events of 9-11. Most — but not all — fall on the anniversary, so please pay special attention to the date of the event.
Film
Object art
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the attacks, the Brooklyn Museum screens “Objects and Memory,” an hour-long film by Brian Danitz and Jonathan Fein about individuals who have preserved meaningful objects in the attacks’ aftermath. The afternoon will also feature three animated shorts based on moving interviews with those who have lost loved ones on 9-11.
Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000], Sept. 11 at 2 pm. Admission $10 (suggested). For info, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.
Woody’s ‘Manhattan’
For some relevant escapism courtesy of Woody Allen, head to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for free screenings of “Manhattan.” The venue first screened Allen’s rhapsodic love letter to New York nine years ago in commemoration of the first anniversary of the tragedy. It’s a welcome return.
“Manhattan” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [30 Lafayette Ave. near St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Sept. 11 at 2, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 pm. Free. For info, visit ww.bam.org.
Readings
Post 9-11 philanthropy
Giving the outpouring of monetary support following the 9-11 attacks, Julie Salamon’s book, “Rambam’s Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give,” is an appropriate subject. The author will talk about her book, which follows the writings of 12th-century philosopher Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (aka Maimonides) at the Brooklyn Historical Society, which will be followed by a poetry reading on the Brooklyn Promenade by Dave Johnson of his own works as well as Galway Kinnell’s “When the Towers Fell.”
Julie Salamon at the Brooklyn Historical Society [128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 222-4111], Sept. 11 at 2 pm. Free. For info, visit www.bhs.org.
Music
Community effort
The Brooklyn Conservatory, Community Bookstore, and Congregation Beth Elohim join forces to present a Day of Remembrance in Park Slope to remember those loved and lost in song, as well as dance, prayer and literature. The afternoon affair will feature performances by the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Dancewave, sermons, Jewish prayers, and a performance of “America the Beautiful” by the Conservatory Orchestra that all are invited to join in.
Day of Remembrance at the Brooklyn Conservatory [58 Seventh Ave. at Lincoln Place in Park Slope, (718) 622-3300]; Community Bookstore [143 Seventh Ave. at Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783-3075]; and Congregation Beth Elohim [274 Garfield Pl. at Eighth Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 768-3814], Sept. 11 from noon to 6:15 pm. Free. For info and the exact schedule at each venue, visit bqcm.org.
Holy sanctuary
On that day, St. Ann’s was a refuge for people fleeing across the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, and for those grieving many days after. That remains the case on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, as the Brooklyn Heights church will host several music groups, including the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, and St. Ann’s Choir, as well as authors, faith leaders and first responders in “Sanctuary Still,” a community remembrance.
“Sanctuary Still” at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church [Clinton and Montague streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 875-6960], Sept. 11 at 3 pm. Free. For info, visit www.saintannandtheholytrinity.org.
Somber chamber concert
In honor of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and in the ensuing wars since, the Sherman Ensemble will play elegies by Faure and Rachmaninoff, as well as Smetana’s Trio in G Minor (Op. 15), at the Brooklyn Public Library.
Sherman Ensemble at the Brooklyn Public Library’s central branch [Flatbush Avenue at Eastern Parkway in Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope, (718) 230-2100], Sept. 11 at 1:30 pm. Free. For info, visit www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
Hasidic song
In Mill Basin, Temple Shalom remembers 9-11 with an evening of Hasidic song, performed by leading cantors from the tri-state area, followed by a kosher dinner if you are so inclined, for further reflection and community support.
Temple Shalom [2075 E. 68th St. at Avenue U in Mill Basin, (718) 251-0370], Sept. 11 at 5 pm. Tickets $18 for the concert. Dinner is at 7 pm, and costs an additional $36. Reservations required for both. For info, visit www.ourtemplesholom.org.
Community concert
Irondale brings together a bevy of groups — String Orchestra of Brooklyn, American Opera Projects, Spoke The Hub Dance, The Brooklyn Music School — and acclaimed pianist Anton Batagov for a community concert in honor of the lives lost on 9-11. The concert accompanies a permanent exhibition in the Fort Greene space, “Pieces of Paper Project,” which honors the grassroots efforts of those who gave all in responding to the events of 9-11.
9-11 Community Concert at the Irondale Center [85 S. Oxford St. near Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 488-9233], Sept. 11 at 4 pm. Free. For info, visit www.irondale.org.
Musical awakening
The much-lauded Kronos Quartet and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus join forces for what’s sure to be a powerful meditation on 9-11. “Awakening” runs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music a few weeks after the proper anniversary, so it has the advantage of not competing for your attention. The two groups will perform 12 pieces from 11 countries, including selections from composer Michael Gordon’s “The Sad Park,” which incorporates voice samples of young children who witnessed the events at Ground Zero and inspired the programming.
“Awakening” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music [651 Fulton St. at Ashland Place in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100], Sept. 21-24. Tickets $20-$50. For info, visit www.bam.org.
Art
Moving pictures
Among the more than 1,200 pieces showing as part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s new show, “Tales of Breukelen,” are Richard Massie’s stark black-and-white photos of the World Trade Center, which capture the towers while under construction and from the observation deck after completion. Little did he know at the time that they would become relics. The gallery will also employ its artists to create a 30-foot montage as part of a memorial ceremony on Sept. 11.
“Tales of Breukelen” at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition [499 Van Brunt St. near Reed Street, (718) 569–2506], Sept. 17–Oct. 16. Free. For info, visit www.bwac.org.
Ten years later
The Brooklyn Museum looks back with “Ten Years Later: Ground Zero Remembered,” a multi-layered exhibition that includes a piece by Michael Richards, who died in the attacks while working in his studio space in the North Tower; Christoph Draeger’s photographic jigsaw puzzle, “WTC, September 17”; and two comment books filled by visitors to the museum after viewing images displayed on the first anniversary of the attacks. Visitors will once again be able to respond to this show, but this time via electronic kiosks.
“Ten Years Later: Ground Zero Remembered” at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000], Sept. 7-Oct. 30. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Powerhouse works
DUMBO’s powerHouse Arena takes the anniversary as an opportunity to scour the photography field for a post-9-11 perspective. The resulting exhibition features works by Garth Lenz, Michael Robinson Chavez, Florian Büttner and Michael Busse which document changes felt around the world since the attacks.
“Ten Years After Nine/Eleven: Searching for a 21st Century Landscape” at powerHouse Arena [37 Main St. at Water Street in DUMBO, (718) 666-3049], now through Sept. 16, with a reception on Sept. 10 at 7 pm. Free. For info, visit www.powerhousearena.com.
Rethinking memorials
Also in DUMBO, a new show attempts to give new definitions to what constitutes a memorial. Ten artists — one for every year since the attacks — will create interactive memorials at outdoor sites in the neighborhood on Sept. 10, from Legacy Russell’s “edible effigies” to a decorated doorway that can be walked through and then shut to provide literal “closure.”
“Rethinking Memorial: Ten Interactive Sites for Remembering 9/11,” begin at The Pearl Street Triangle (Pearl Street between Front and Water streets in DUMBO), Sept. 10 from 11 am to 5 pm. For info and locations, visit www.brooklynartscouncil.org.
