A year ago yesterday, a group of terrorists turned our world upside down. Since that fateful morning, Americans have struggled to cement their national identity and find common ground in the face of incomprehensible violence. The arts community has not been immune to this renewed patriotism. Many musicians released patriotic singles for compilation albums; the Boss himself returned with The Rising, his own response to the attacks. Patriotic movies like Sum of All Fears (which, incidentally, blew Baltimore to smithereens) thrived in the box office. Tom Brokaw went In Search of America, and every major television station hosted 9/11 specials.
Some local arts centers contributed in their own ways to the commemoration of one of America's saddest and finest days. Both the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art offered free admission yesterday as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate America's freedoms.
The program, called "Celebrate America's Freedoms: A Day of Remembrance," was developed jointly by the American Association of Museums and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. By encouraging museums across America to open for free on the anniversary of Sept. 11, these organizations provided a forum to examine our freedoms to assemble, create, worship, inquire and express ideas.
BMA Director Doreen Bolger stated in a press release, "We believe that the museum is a place of solace and quiet contemplation at this time of remembrance. We invite the community to join us here to consider our nation's great freedoms."
In addition to free admission, the Walters presented its first annual Renee May Lecture last evening. May was a flight attendant on board the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, as well as a docent at the Walters.
The first speaker, Gregory Smith, a senior at Virginia's Randolph Macon College, spoke on the topic of children and the aftermath of terrorism, as well as the healing power of museums and art. Smith was the 13-year-old founder of International Youth Advocates, which educates the world about the plight of children. He has been nominated for the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Finally, on the musical front, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and Annapolis Chorale participated in a moving tribute to honor the dead. These groups joined choirs and orchestras from around the world in the "Rolling Requiem." Beginning at the International Date Line and progressing around the world, numerous instrumental and choral performances of Mozart's classic "Requiem" commenced in every time zone at 8:46 a.m., the moment of the first attack on the World Trade Center.
Conducted by J. Ernest Green and Leslie B. Dunner, the ASO and Annapolis Chorale performed for 50 minutes to a full house. Members of the participating organizations wore heart badges, each with the name of a person who died in the terrorist attack; this gesture reminds us that the brave souls lost on Sept. 11 may be gone but are not forgotten.
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