Moments of silence

A picture may say a thousand words, but Temple Gallery is demonstrating how silence speaks louder.

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Temple Gallery is showcasing an exhibit titled “A Decade of Silences” throughout the month of September.

Located at the Tyler School of Art, the exhibit features a collection of moments of silence honoring the victims from Sept.11, 2001.

As the brainchild of the Director of Temple Gallery Robert Blackson, “A Decade of Silences” was a collaborative summer project with researcher Olivia Menta.

“I attended [Blackson’s] lectures last year and began brainstorming how we could make this idea come alive,” Menta said, an undeclared sophomore.

“Although I am leaning toward majoring in painting and ceramics, I hope to become a future curator at Temple Gallery so this project was good experience,” Menta said.

Since Temple Gallery is a free educational institution, students from all backgrounds can explore the contemporary art gallery to present creations and share knowledge.

“Political science majors, journalism majors, history majors, students from any academic concentration gather to experience the exhibits,” Menta said.

“Each month brings a different event that historians, geologists and urbanists can enjoy. Temple Gallery has something for everyone,” Menta added.

With the magnitude of Sept. 11 affecting the entire nation, visitors of the exhibit have reacted in tune with the somber mood.

“The interesting aspect of this exhibit is that each silence contains different noises,” Menta said. “Even a Missouri woman’s private moment of silence in her bedroom features the sounds of her environment. People walking through the exhibit feel like they are there.”

Reflecting on that infamous September morning, freshman political science major Eva Endene still shivers at the memory of her teacher informing the class about the plane crashes.” I
was in third grade and we were learning to write in cursive when our teacher told us that our parents were coming to pick us up early,” Endene said. “It feels like just yesterday that my mom told me that America was bombed. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”

Freshman legal studies major Ayana Clark did not have her mom around to break the news.

“My mother was a flight attendant at the time and I was scared to death,” Clark said. “Luckily, she was stationed at a different airport, but she couldn’t come home for 10 days.”

“Even though my mother was safe, I was still worried because I have family in New York City. My aunt actually watched the plane crashes from her office across the street,” Clark added.

John Corrigan can be reached at john.corrigan@temple.edu.