10 September, 2011
Hello friends and art patrons,
On Sunday, 9/11/11, at 1:00, the Town of Norfolk, MA will be holding a ceremony to reflect on the tenth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
It will include an unveiling of the new bronze version of the 9/11 Memorial I created for the town, "One World United for Peace". In 2002, the town commissioned the sculpture, but funding issues prevented a bronze rendition at that time. I was able to provide a bonded bronze version, which was beautiful, but not as durable outdoors. Bonnie Dittrich, who spearheaded the efforts for Norfolk, never lost sight of the original intention and saw the tenth anniversary as an appropriate opportunity to complete the bronze casting.
Creating this sculpture was very moving for me--I was born in Queens and worked in New York City before moving to Boston. Its design just flowed as I developed it. The main form implies the Twin Towers, and it rests on a pentagon-shaped base. Atop the tower are 13 figures representing different groups of people affected by the disaster and their various reactions, from fear to grief to determination. My hope was that viewers could recognize themselves and others in the sculpture, and in so doing it would help them come to terms with the emotions and find some inner peace.
"One World United for Peace" is more than a memorial, also asking us to look beyond the history of the events to what now? In the sculpture, the figures support the globe, representing that peace around the world requires everyone - me, you, everyone. We all want peace, of course--how do we live so as to attain it?
Attached is a photo of my daughter at the original unveiling ceremony in 2003; my son was only four then. We will be at the ceremony on the 11th and use the opportunity to have conversations about what happened and for living in peace.
If you are in the area that day and would like to gather with others to reflect on the events, please join us. It's at Town Hill, behind the library, near Union (RT 115) and Main Streets.
Sincerely,
Michael
Michael Alfano Sculpture
www.michaelalfano.com
mail@michaelalfano.com
11 School St., Hopkinton MA 01748
W: (508) 435-4613; C: (508) 320-4376
