Photo credit: 9/11 Memorial staff
Accession Number: C.2016.88.29
Dimensions: 12.25 in X 12.25 in
Dimensions (Metric): 31.115 cm X 31.115 cm
Credit Line: Gift of Nilda Mesa and the Unity Canvas artists, in honor of the 9/11 victims, families, first responders, and all who seek peace
Description
Collage on canvas created by Suejin Jo of New York, New York. The collage is part of the Unity Canvas project and depicts portrait photographs of 9/11 victims cut from a newspaper and arranged in a checker-board pattern alongside red, white, and blue diagonal checks. Handwritten text around the border reads: "THERE IS NO SAFE HAVEN | Only sharing will achieve Peace." It is signed in the lower right corner.
Historical Notes
New York City artist Nilda Mesa organized the Unity Canvas as a collective response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While shaken by 9/11, Mesa felt it was important to give fellow artists an opportunity to express their reactions to the tragedy. She issued a call for canvases, each measuring 12 inches by 12 inches, to become part of an art installation. After receiving around 300 pieces, she assembled them into the Unity Canvas, which was displayed in Brooklyn on the first anniversary of 9/11.