Raleigh museums join national ‘Day of Remembrance’

September 4, 2002
For Immediate Release
For metro and calendar editors

(RALEIGH, Sept. 4, 2002) -- Raleigh museums are participating in a nationwide museum effort to offer community observances to commemorate the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.

The national effort, titled “Celebrate America’s Freedoms: A Day of Remembrance,” underscores museums’ roles as stewards of the nation’s stories and objects, and as special places where communities can examine and reaffirm American values. The American Association of Museums (AAM) and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are leading the effort.

“Our museums are a reflection of America itself,” said Dr. Robert Martin, director of the IMLS. “They are stewards of the things we create, and the ideas we shape. They tell the nation’s stories, and on September 11 they will stand with their communities as another chapter in our history unfolds. Museums offer their communities special places to examine and reaffirm such precious freedoms as the freedom to assemble, to worship, to learn, to express ideas, and the freedom from fear.”

Betsy Bennett, director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, recalled that in the confusion and fear immediately following 9-11, museum visitation dropped dramatically.

“But visitors returned in subsequent weeks, seeking solace,” Bennett said. “People told us they were looking for ways to reconnect with the places and things they valued, many of which they find in our museums of natural history, art, history and culture.”

The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W. Jones St. in downtown Raleigh, plans a tree-planting ceremony in a spirit of remembrance and renewal. The event begins at about 12:15 p.m. on September 11, immediately following a commemorative event hosted by Gov. Mike Easley on the Capitol grounds nearby. Bill Ross, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural Resources, will lead the Museum event. He will read a poem and introduce the Raleigh Charter High School’s mixed ensemble, which will sing, “Inscription of Hope.” For information, please call (919) 733-7450, ext. 304. Visit the Museum on the Web at www.naturalsciences.org.

The North Carolina Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., across from the Museum of Natural Sciences, will show a Home Box Office documentary called “In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01.” The hourlong movie, nominated for five Emmy awards, features a remarkable collection of pictures and video clips from more than 100 people who witnessed the terrorist attacks. It will show at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the museum auditorium.

With the Hon. Rudolph W. Giuliani as guide, “In Memoriam” follows the New York City mayor and his staff from the first reports of the attack to a newfound strength that emerged in the spirit of a new America. The documentary, presenting a panoramic and historical record of September 11, earned critical acclaim when it first aired on HBO on Memorial Day weekend. It includes graphic and emotionally powerful scenes, but concludes on a hopeful note. Museums nationwide are showing it through the cooperation of HBO and AAM.

The Museum of History also is offering a lunchtime lecture at 12:10 p.m. by William Leuchtenburg, an internationally known scholar of 20th-century American history. His presentation, “In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to George W. Bush,” centers on how Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legacy has raised the stakes for his successors, and will also include historical perspectives about 9/11. Leuchtenburg is the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of History at UNC-Chapel Hill. Bring your lunch; beverages are provided. Contact the museum at (919) 715-0600 or on the Internet at www.ncmuseumofhistory.org.

The North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, encourages the public to gather, remember and rejoice in the beauty of our world through art. The Museum of Art also will offer the public opportunities to view “In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01.” Visitors can view it in the video screening room on September 11 and for the remainder of the month. It will be available on a first-come, first-view basis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact the museum at (919) 839-6262 or on the Internet at www.ncartmuseum.org.

Exploris, 201 E. Hargett St. in downtown Raleigh, will be free and open to the public all day on September 11. The public is invited to come to Exploris to reflect on the events of September 11 and to learn about our interconnectedness with people and places around the world. Exploris also will host an Interfaith Service of Remembrance in conjunction with the Interfaith Alliance of Wake County and WRAL-TV from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The service will include representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Jain, Sikh, B’ahai, Buddhist and Hindu faiths. The service is free and open to the public. Contact Exploris at (919) 834-4040 or on the Internet at www.exploris.org.

The Raleigh City Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street Mall in downtown Raleigh, will provide visitors an opportunity to express their thoughts and remembrances in a commemorative guest book. The guest book will be kept in the museum’s permanent collection and library and may be reissued for further reflections on September 11 in future years. The museum also will note the anniversary on its “Today in History” board displayed in the Fayetteville Street Mall window.

Media contact information:

N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Karen Kemp
(919) 733-7450 ext. 304
karen.kemp@ncmail.net

N.C. Museum of History
Susan Lamb
(919) 715-0200, ext. 313
susan.lamb@ncmail.net

N.C. Museum of Art
Rebecca Moore
(919) 839-6262, ext. 2140
rmoore@ncmamail.dcr.state.nc.us

Exploris
Chris Schmidt
(919) 857-1085
cschmidt@exploris.org

Raleigh City Museum
Ken Peters
(919) 832-3775, ext. 11
kpeters@raleighcitymuseum.org

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.

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