CONTACT: Donald M. Reynolds
(212) 643-8730
DonRey1@msn.com
http://www.webmark.com/monumentsconservancy/2002

An outstanding group of speakers from the humanities will gather to consider the principles and guidelines that should prevail in planning an appropriate remembrance of the September 11, 2001, tragedy - not the design of the memorial itself.

"A consensus of the form the memorial should take will come only with time and through personal reflection, and discussions among members of the community, especially the families of those who perished, the survivors, the rescuers, and our civic and thought leaders," declares Donald M. Reynolds, founder of the symposium.

The Monuments Conservancy will take the opportunity to present the fourth annual Perennial Wisdom Medal. The medal is given to each of the symposium's participants, whose work perpetuates the beliefs, habits, and ties that are the foundations of a moral and stable society.

Each year, the Symposium honors Professor Rudolf Wittkower, whose work and spirit of collaborative inquiry became not only "a standard for the finest art historical scholarship of the entire 20th century," but also for the third millennium.

Founded in 1991 on the 20th anniversary of Rudolf Wittkower's death, these events are made possible through the generosity of the late Samuel Dorksy and the Dorsky Foundation.

(List of Speakers follows in the order in which they appear on the program)

Donald M. Reynolds, Founder, The Samuel Dorsky Symposium on Public Monuments, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Columbia University, New York, NY.: "Designate Ground Zero a monument, develop the site as a self-perpetuating memorial, and impose a 20-year moratorium on doing anything with the twin towers' 'footprint,' allowing time for the families of those who perished and the survivors to reach a consensus on what should occupy the site--if anything. Appoint a Remembrancer to make it happen."

Wayne Andersen, Professor Emeritus of History, Theory, and Criticism of Art and Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA., a close associate of twin towers architect Minoru Yamasaki, will discuss why it is much too early to consider any monument, and his belief that the space should remain empty for a period of time.

Hellmut Wohl, Professor of Art History, Boston University, Boston, MA., will explore whether in today's world physical monuments can still serve their commemorative purpose, and whether there exist today the mythologies and artistic conventions to sustain that purpose.

Oleg Grabar, Professor Emeritus of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ., will explore the ethical decisions involved in finding equality in difference and not in similarity. While perpetual tension may be the fate of mankind, he believes it behooves each culture, especially the dominant ones, to concentrate their efforts on providing the means to teach people to know others in depth.

James E. Young, Professor of English and Judaic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA., will explore what monuments and memory have to do with each other, and describe how monuments and the critical approach to them have evolved over the course of the 20th century. He will reflect on what monuments do by what they cannot do.

Witold Rybczynski, Professor of Urbanism, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA., addresses the problem of an American society that has become more heterogeneous, making it increasingly difficult to find common values to commemorate and common symbols to commemorate them, as well as the question of whose artistic vision should prevail.

Alice Wohl, editor, translator, and author, Housatonic, MA., will discuss the general task of keeping memory alive, the process of recovery after devastation, and she will distinguish between commemorating those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, and the World Trade Center itself.

Bruce Jennings, Senior Scholar, The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY., will address the possibilities inherent in civitas - the city defined by a condition of common human need and purpose - which he believes should be the fundamental guiding principles of any memorial shaped of steel, bronze, stone, and mortar.