November 24, 2021 – The Brewer Foundation announced that a special art project it commissioned to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 will soon be on display at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The sculpture piece, “YZKAR,” is a pair of bronze-cast lights created by artist Tobi Kahn from the last known pieces of steel recovered from Ground Zero in New York. The steel pieces were provided to the artist by The Port Authority/Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), in coordination with NYU President Emeritus John Sexton. The memorial lights were previously displayed at the Grey Art Gallery at New York University. YZKAR will be on view at the museum in early 2022.
A video celebrating this historic project can be viewed here: https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/gift-lights-tobi-kahns-yzkar.
“The memorial lights offer a tribute to the people whose lives we lost that day – and also represents a promise to never forget them,” says Brewer Foundation Chairman William A. Brewer III. “Working with Mr. Kahn and the many others who made this vision a reality, we believe this art inspires reflection and hope for generations to come.”
Each piece includes a vessel to hold a memorial light. The two pillars in each piece represent the Twin Towers, and the pieces are designed to be lit to commemorate the lives of the many people who were lost on 9/11. An upright, vertical piece represents individual lives lost and the second piece, which extends like an embrace, represents the communal loss.
“I want to thank all who made this work possible, including the Brewer Foundation,” says Kahn. “This work is based on what is the last known artifact from hallowed Ground Zero, honoring our collective sense of loss from the events of that day. This is among the most personal and meaningful projects in which I have ever been involved.”
In collaboration with Mr. Kahn, the Brewer Foundation will sponsor an educational curriculum around the pieces and the project, serving as a catalyst for conversation about the events of 9/11. A lecture series will be offered to the NYU community. The Brewer Foundation will also host an educational program for students from the Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program, an academic and leadership development program that lights a path to college for students from Dallas’s urban community.
About The Brewer Foundation
The Brewer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation funded by the support of the Brewer Storefront; the generosity of the law firm Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors; and donor contributions. The Foundation supports a broad range of community initiatives, with a special emphasis on a growing array of educational programs. Among these are the Future Leaders Program (FLP), an academic and leadership development program that benefits minority youth, and the Brewer Foundation/New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), a global debate contest for high school students. The Foundation has also partnered with leaders in numerous sectors to grow and support its mission.
About Tobi Kahn
Tobi Kahn is a painter and sculptor whose work has been shown in over 40 solo exhibitions and over 60 museum and group shows since he was selected as one of nine artists to be included in the 1985 Guggenheim Museum exhibition, New Horizons in American Art. Works by Kahn are in major museum, corporate, and private collections. For thirty years, Kahn has been steadfast in the pursuit of his distinct vision and persistent in his commitment to the redemptive possibilities of art.
