Hofstra University Museum of Art: Where Were You? Witnessing History

HOFSTR A UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM OF ART

Where Were You? Witnessing History SEP TEMBER 1- DECEMBER 10, 2021

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E M I LY L O W E G A L L E R Y

Where Were You? Witnessing History Where were you when JFK was assassinated, when the Towers fell, or when Superstorm Sandy hit Long Island? One of the impacts of significant or life-altering events is that people remember where they were, whom they were with, and what they were doing. There is often a sense of life being different “before” and “after” the incident. These tragic instances of loss and mourning reside in our collective memory, which refers to a shared pool of memories, knowledge, and information.

These types of monumental events often define generations.

The 20th century saw the “day which will live in infamy,” the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the United States entry into World War II. The 1960s were a time of unrest, highlighted by the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., along with nationwide anti-war and civil rights protests. More recently, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks changed life as we knew it with long-lasting repercussions. The ramifications of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and civil rights protests for social justice continue to emerge and will have a lasting influence on us all.

I remember clearly what I was doing and thinking on September 11, 2001, and in the days that followed. Upon arriving at work, I learned that a plane had hit one of the Towers. I was perplexed at first, since it was a bright and sunny day with a crystal clear blue sky. How could a plane have missed seeing the building? When the second plane hit, it became obvious that this was no accident but a deliberate action. As the day unfolded with the collapse of the Towers and assaults at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, my thoughts were on the safety of family and friends living and working in New York City. The following day was spent with other blood donors at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in anticipation of mass casualties.

From the vantage point of the 10th floor of the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, the smoke cloud rising above the Manhattan skyline was visible for days afterward.

There are many ways we remember and commemorate a major trauma, whether violent attacks, war, or natural disasters.

These include remembrance ceremonies, the creation/ erection of memorial sites, and artistic responses. Artists use their talents to express and give voice to deep emotions – sorrow, mourning, and unease about what is to come. Works

by Jimmy Ernst, Yonia Fain, George Grosz, Käthe Kollwitz, and Gilles Peress acknowledge the wartime atrocities of the German Peasants’ War, World War II, the Holocaust, and the Rwandan genocide. By boldly identifying their subjects through explicit titles and undeniable imagery, these artists reveal how they struggled with their own personal experiences and how they came to terms with tragic events during their lifetime. Some also suffered the consequences of political condemnation and exile because of their work.

During tumultuous times of anti-war protests and the Civil Rights Movement, the works of art created addressed the personal beliefs and experiences of the artists and served to

advocate for the cause and as a call to action. Jacob Lawrence and Andy Warhol powerfully depicted volatile confrontations that occurred in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The prints by Richard Hamilton, Larry Rivers, and Peter Saul focused attention on anti-war protests, specifically the Vietnam War. These artists employed their individual styles to communicate their support for these protest activities.

The September 11 terrorist attacks occurred in 2001. The United States continues to contend with the repercussions, including issues of national security, individual privacy, war and military actions, and physical and mental health ramifications. Initially, many of the memorials were temporary, but permanent memorials soon followed, including sculptor John Safer’s Phoenix located on the Hofstra campus. Hofstra University Library’s Long Island Studies Institute created The September 11th Project collection, which began to collect materials that reflected the Long Island response to the tragedy. These works of art, documents, and objects aid in interpreting the period of September 11 and the days following for future understanding. 9/11 remembrance and memorial events have taken place annually and often include the creation of a work of art, such as Amy Cohen’s Postcards to God: Pt. Lookout to Ground Zero (2002) and Faith Ringgold’s The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt (2006).

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012), have long-term consequences for survivors. In his self-portrait, New Orleans artist Luis Cruz Azaceta focused on his personal experience during Katrina and the uneven response that followed, which exposed the inequalities and inequities that exist in our society. After Superstorm Sandy, environmental artist and activist Barbara Roux photographed the natural devastation in her local area of Lloyd Harbor, New York. Jennifer Poyant and Susannah Ray interviewed residents and photographed their community of the Rockaways in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, revealing the damage not only to property but also to ways of life.

Photographer Michael Redpath, a New York City firefighter during 9/11, took photographs of ground zero and the cleanup efforts. A resident of the Rockaways, his negatives were damaged in the flooding. The salt water transformed them, creating an unexpected beauty and otherworldliness in the images. The altered photographs reflect both events and allude to how our memories change over time.

Events like these, whether local or global, leave lasting scars not only on our physical environment but also on each of us.

As we have seen during the past year in the United States, protests and marches for civil rights and social justice continue, and the COVID-19 pandemic expands and changes with almost every newscast. Artists have been producing works in response to this unprecedented time as a way to personally and collectively grieve while also creating art that celebrates the potential of progress and resilience.

We, like the artists in this exhibition, are all witnesses to history.

Karen T. Albert Director

EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

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Luis Cruz Azaceta

Pura Cruz

George Grosz

(American, born Cuba, 1942) 1 N.O. HEAD (Post Katrina), 2008 Permanent ink and Band-Aid on paper 42 x 30 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Sharon Jacques HU2012.44

(American, born 1942)

(American, born Germany, 1893-1959) 3 A Mighty One on a Little Outing Surprised by Two Poets, 1942 Oil on paper mounted to board 28 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of the Estate of Arnott J. White HU93.9

Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000)

And then came the 11th of September/broken guitar #18, no date Mixed media 43 x 16 x 6 in.

Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

Jimmy Ernst

Bronze 11 x 11.5 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of William D. Levine HU81.7

(American, born Germany, 1920-1984) Crystal Night, 1963 Oil on canvas 34 x 41.25 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of the artist HU69.4

Amy Cohen

Yonia Fain

Homage to Un-American Activities Committee, 1959

(American)

Postcards to God: Pt. Lookout to Ground Zero, 2002 Markers, pens, and collage materials on paper 4 x 6 in. each Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

(American, born Russia [now Ukraine], 1913-2013) 2 Prisoners, 1970 Oil on canvas 26.25 x 50 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of the artist HU2012.14

Donna Ferrato (American, born 1949) Memorial Lights, 9/11/2007 Gelatin silver print 26 x 17.25 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU2014.20.6

Richard Hamilton (English, 1922-2011) Kent State, 1970 Screenprint from 13 stencils 28.5 x 40.5 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Dr. Milton Gardner HU80.16

Len Jacobs (American)

Ground Zero-Firefighter, September 15, 2001 Photograph 19 x 13 in.

Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

Käthe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945)

Sharpening the Scythe (Beim Dengeln), 1905 Etching 11.75 x 11.75 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Philip James HU70.104.1

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Jacob Lawrence

Gilles Peress

Michael Redpath

(American, 1917-2000) 4 Confrontation at the Bridge from the portfolio An American Portrait, 1975 Screenprint 19.5 x 26 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg HU91.29

(French, born 1946)

(American, born 1963) #7 WTC, 5:51 PM, 9/11/2001 Digital pigment print 15.5 x 23.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Gilles Peress (French, born 1946) 5 Evacuation of the Jews, Skanderia, Sarajevo, Bosnia, 1993 From the portfolio Flashpoints – Selected Images by Gilles Peress, 1997 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU98.19.5

Gilles Peress (French, born 1946)

Massacre Site, Nyarubuye, Rwanda, 1994 From the portfolio Flashpoints – Selected Images by Gilles Peress, 1997 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU98.19.3

Rwandan Hutu Refugees Waiting Medical Attention, Benaco, Tanzania, 1994 From the portfolio Flashpoints – Selected Images by Gilles Peress, 1997 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU98.19.1

Jennifer Poyant – Audio (American, born 1979)

Susannah Ray – Photographs (American, born 1972)

What are the Wild Waves Saying: Storm Stories from the Rockaways, Audio and Photographs 2012-13, Video 2021 Video, 7:30 minutes Courtesy of the artists

Michael Redpath (American, born 1963) 6 Hard Hat Café, 1/3/2002 Digital pigment print 15.5 x 23.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Michael Redpath (American, born 1963) North Tower, 12/28/2001 Digital pigment print 15.5 x 23.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Michael Redpath (American, born 1963)

View from Deutsche Bank onto Ground Zero, 12/23/2001 Digital pigment print 15.5 x 23.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

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Faith Ringgold

Barbara Roux

Andy Warhol

(American, born 1930) 7 The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt, 2006 Mixed media on fabric 72 x 50 in. each Courtesy of InterRelations Collaborative, Inc.

(American, born 1946) 8 Torn from the Bluff, Washed by the Sea, 2012 Digital pigment print 10.5 x 18.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

(American, 1928-1987)

Larry Rivers

Peter Saul

(American, 1923-2002) Victims from the portfolio Boston Massacre, 1970 Screenprint with embossing and collage 19.125 x 27.25 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Victor S. Liss HU79.38.9

(American, born 1934) Shicago Justus from the portfolio Conspiracy, The Artist as Witness, 1971 Lithograph 24 x 18 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Andrew Rosenberg HU91.171

Barbara Roux

Peter Turnley

(American, born 1946) Demon’s Rake, 2012 Digital pigment print 12.5 x 16.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Barbara Roux (American, born 1946)

Splintered Dandelion, 2012 Digital pigment print 12.5 x 16.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Barbara Roux (American, born 1946) Tree Tops, 2012 Digital pigment print 12.5 x 16.5 in.

Courtesy of the artist

(American, born 1955)

In the Rubble of Ground Zero, 2001 Archival pigment print 13 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU2018.38

Peter Turnley (American, born 1955)

The War in Iraq, near Basra, Iraq, 2003 Archival pigment print 13 x 20 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Susan and Steven Ball HU2018.37

Birmingham Race Riot from the portfolio X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters), 1964 Screenprint 20 x 24 in.

Hofstra University Museum of Art Gift of Dr. Milton Gardner HU83.47

ARTIFACTS Mason Hoe Metal with red paint, wood handle wrapped in black tape 20.5 x 6.75 in.

Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

Work Boots Worn by Jeff Johns, rescue effort, 2001 Black leather 9 x 5 x 12 in.

Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

Hardhat Brown plastic with sticker, goggles 8.5 x 11.5 x 6 in.

Courtesy of The September 11th Project, Special Collections, Hofstra University Library

Funding has been provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.