Drawing
- Description
- Child's handmade watercolor crayon and paint drawing created by Shayla Colon, daughter of Sol E. Colon. The multicolored drawing features handwritten text that reads: "MOMMY | FAMILY | SOL | COLON" as well as "World | Trade | Center" and "Bunk | 21." The drawing was used to create a feather for the 2006 America's Camp collaborative art project, titled The Feathers of the Phoenix.
- Historical Notes
Shayla Colon was three when her mother, Sol E. Colon, an administrative assistant at Aon Corporation, died in the 9/11 attacks. Growing up, Shayla saw Sol’s empathy as a guide. Inspired by that compassion and motivated to counter misinformation, Shayla became a journalist. As a reporter, she prioritizes two values: empathy and accountability.
Colon remembers America’s Camp as “a place of love.” She felt that love in the peaceful silence as the campers created art together, later saying their company reminded her that others “were going through the same thing that I was going through despite how horrible it was.”
To learn more about the phoenix and interact with a digital representation of the sculpture and Shayla's individual feather, please visit the digital interactive site here.
- Accession Number: IL.2025.27.1
- Dimensions: 9 3/4 in X 10 3/16 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 22.86 cm X 25.4 cm
- Credit Line: Courtesy Traci Molloy, America's Camp, Artwork by Shayla Colon
All materials made publicly available by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on this site are intended for research and educational use only. Users may need to obtain other permissions for their intended use(s) and are responsible for determining copyright status and securing these permissions.
