Drawing Meaning: A 25-Year Reflection on Trauma and Children’s Art After 9/11

As images of smoke and flame appeared on televisions across the world on September 11, 2001, many children saw what adults saw. Some witnessed even more. Within hours of the attacks, children were already using art to express thoughts and feelings that were too big for words. This talk will examine how these young artists found meaning in the confusing and tragic events of 9/11 and its aftermath and used their work to help and heal themselves and others. In a recent exhibit, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s drew on their extensive collection of children’s art to showcase an assemblage that encompasses the wide range of emotional responses that children had in the wake of the attacks. In art therapy programs, school projects, and their personal art, children expressed the fear, sadness, and anxiety that so many experienced after 9/11. But their pieces also show the hope and inspiration that they took from witnessing acts of charity and generosity in the aftermath. The talk will focus on the ways the exhibit team drew out how children used their art to learn about themselves and reach beyond their own experience. Some made colorful drawings that were treasured by rescue and recovery workers, while others worked to understand the political and social responses to 9/11. The children who made this art are all adults now, but this show captures a moment that helped shape them, and how they used their paints, crayons, and colored pencils to become active participants in it. Presented by Emma Winter Zeig, Exhibition Developer, National September 11 Memorial & Museum Image: Display of 1,000 paper cranes sent to New York City by students in Japan in the aftermath of 9/11. Collection 9/11Memorial & Museum, Gift of Antonio ‘Nino’ Vendome and family, Photograph by Michael Hnatov Join us in-person or online! If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center. Members: FREE Springfield residents: $4 Nonmembers: $4 To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance. Online Registration