A personal message from Ingrid Schorr, Program Administrator of the Office of the Arts
The Office of the Arts and Student Activities is hosting an all-arts barbecue on the afternoon of September 11. We would like to acknowledge that this is also the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the United States. Those events affected our community in many different ways; some students were 11 years old at the time; some did not live in the United States. Others lost family members in the attacks, were displaced from their homes, jobs, or schools, or experienced trauma in other ways.
As artists, how might we mark the day at this gathering? I don’t mean to say that the barbecue itself will be a memorial. I would like to find an appropriate and meaningful way to acknowledge the date. We might have a period of silence; a prayer book or other place to write a response; a collaborative gesture such as a song or building a cairn. What do you all think? I welcome your suggestions and leadership.
I went to an event last semester about racism and they had a large cloth/banner set up where people used paints or markers to put down any reaction- thought- quote- picture, etc, that came to them individually.
I thought it was very brilliant and people seemed to really respond and participate. So I figured i would just put that out there- I’m not sure if it would seem appropriate to the planners of the event.