New York State Museum Marks twenty fifth Anniversary of September eleventh Attacks with New Pictures Exhibition, Hardly ever Seen Artifacts on Show, and Public Applications

New images exhibition Witness to 9/11 paperwork the assaults and their aftermath by the work of two New York Daily News photojournalists

The photos beneath will be downloaded from the online press kit

A windbreaker worn by forensic specialist Brian Gestring is amongst new artifacts that can be on show on the New York State Museum.	Tribute in Light is a commemorative set up illuminated yearly on the night of September 11. Image courtesy of David Handschuh.

The New York State Museum as we speak introduced a brand new images exhibition, a brand new show of hardly ever seen artifacts, and a sequence of public packages to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist assaults on the World Trade Center. Together, these exhibitions and packages honor the lives misplaced, those that responded, and the lasting affect on New York and the nation.

Opening September 5, 2026, Witness to 9/11 is a brand new images exhibition that explores the speedy response and aftermath of the assaults, informed primarily by the work of two New York Daily News photographers, Todd Maisel and David Handschuh. Both had been among the many journalists who responded to Lower Manhattan that morning, unaware of what would unfold. In addition to documenting the assaults, Maisel assisted when Handschuh was significantly injured within the collapse of the South Tower. Together, their images seize each the devastation of the assaults and the extraordinary human response that adopted.

Photographs taken by Maisel and Handschuh at Ground Zero are displayed alongside artifacts, together with Maisel’s Nikon digital camera, a broken cast-iron lamppost that had fashioned the western boundary of the World Trade Center complicated, and a fraction of fuselage from a Boeing 767 that was recovered by workers on the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. The exhibition can be on view by May 2, 2027.

Witness to 9/11 serves as a complement to the Museum’s long-term set up, World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response. The current gallery, which opened on September 5, 2002, can be up to date to incorporate a windbreaker worn by forensic specialist Brian Gestring when he responded to the positioning. Gestring, a member of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, was in entrance of the Marriott Hotel when the South Tower started to break down and was evacuated by boat to New Jersey. The jacket was recovered individually, having been misplaced following the collapse.

Museum Director Jennifer Saunders stated, “Twenty-five years after September 11, the responsibility to preserve and share the history of that day is more important than ever. For millions of New Yorkers, these events remain a deeply personal memory; for a growing generation, they are history understood through the photographs, objects, and stories that have been preserved. The New York State Museum has a unique responsibility to safeguard that record. These photographs and artifacts bear witness not only to unimaginable loss but also to extraordinary courage, service, sacrifice, and resilience. By bringing these stories forward, we honor those who were killed, those who responded, and all those whose lives were forever changed, while ensuring that future generations understand the profound and lasting impact of September 11 on New York and the nation.”

David Handschuh stated, “On September 11, 2001, photojournalists ran towards danger alongside hundreds of rescue workers. Twenty-five years later, we are suffering the same life-threatening illness as far too many first responders. We owe a big thank you to the New York State Museum for featuring exhibits over the past two and a half decades that assure not only that no one will ever forget, but that we will always remember the sacrifices of so many.”

Todd Maisel stated, “I could never have imagined that I would be rescuing the rescuers. And that is what I found myself doing on September 11. At the same time, I realized that many of my firefighter and police officer friends that I’d known had perished. I questioned myself as to why I am alive and the heroes were gone. It occurred to me that my surviving unscathed twice was no accident and that there was a deeper purpose. I had something more important to do and that was to tell the story – maybe this was part of the newest testament. Nonetheless, I would swear to never forget.”

Brian Gestring stated, “When forensic scientists look at evidence, we try to reconstruct events from a quick snapshot in time. I could never have imagined that something I wore on a day-to-day basis would face similar scrutiny and end up in a museum frozen in time. On September 11th, I was caught under the collapsing South Tower and nearly killed. My last memory was trying to dive under an FDNY ladder truck for cover. To this day, I have no idea how I got from trying to dive under a firetruck on Liberty Street to where I was found, or how I made it out alive at all. While I had a long and often difficult road to recovery, I was still more fortunate than many of the other first responders who were just feet from me when the South Tower collapsed.”

In addition to the exhibitions, the Office of Cultural Education has scheduled a sequence of public packages all through September.

Witness to 9/11: An Evening with Photojournalists Todd Maisel and David Handschuh

Date: Wednesday, September 9

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Location: Huxley Theater

Todd Maisel and David Handschuh will mirror on their experiences and the non-public affect of documenting one of many defining occasions in American historical past. The night will conclude with a dialogue led by the Museum’s Senior Historian of Military and Political History, Aaron Noble, adopted by an viewers Q&A. Using chosen photos from the Witness to 9/11 exhibition as a place to begin, the dialog will discover the enduring position of photojournalism in preserving historical past and shaping public reminiscence.

The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response Gallery Tour

Date: Friday, September 11

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: World Trade Center Gallery

This gallery tour explores the historical past of the World Trade Center, the occasions of September 11, 2001, the extraordinary rescue and restoration efforts that adopted, and the methods New Yorkers and other people throughout the nation responded to the tragedy. The tour gives a chance to have interaction with this necessary chapter in historical past and mirror on the braveness, resilience, and lasting affect of the occasions of September 11, 2001.

Sadako’s Crane: An Origami Activity of Remembrance

Date: Saturday, September 12

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: World Trade Center Gallery

Folded by 12-year-old Sadako Sasaki, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, this small paper crane created from a drugs wrapper has turn into a long-lasting reminder of hope, resilience, and the want for peace.

Visitors are invited to find out about Sadako’s story and create their very own origami crane as a significant tribute. This family-friendly exercise gives a chance for reflection, creativity, and connection by the custom of paper crane folding.

The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response Gallery Tour

Date: Sunday, September 13

Time: 12:30 p.m.

Location: World Trade Center Gallery

This gallery tour explores the historical past of the World Trade Center, the occasions of September 11, 2001, the extraordinary rescue and restoration efforts that adopted, and the methods New Yorkers and other people throughout the nation responded to the tragedy. The tour gives a chance to have interaction with this necessary chapter in historical past and mirror on the braveness, resilience, and lasting affect of the occasions of September 11, 2001.

Special Documentary Screening – 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero

Date: Sunday, September 13

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: Huxley Theater

Join the New York State Museum for a particular screening of 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero, a documentary exploring the complicated and deeply private choices that formed the way forward for the World Trade Center web site after the September 11, 2001, terrorist assaults. This movie examines the controversy over rebuilding, because the households of victims, neighborhood members, metropolis leaders, and others wrestled with the way to honor these misplaced whereas imagining the way forward for Lower Manhattan.

Canine Courage: The Search and Rescue Dogs of September 11

Date: Saturday, September 19

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: World Trade Center Gallery

Join museum educator Kate Ting for a family-friendly program exploring the unbelievable work of the search and rescue canines who assisted in the course of the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Learn how specifically educated canine groups supported rescue and restoration efforts on the World Trade Center web site and uncover how these outstanding canines used their expertise to assist individuals throughout probably the most difficult moments in American historical past.

About the New York State Museum

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum within the United States. Home to main scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections symbolize the State’s wealthy cultural and pure heritage from the previous and current, together with a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 1.1 billion years in the past to as we speak. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday by Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to five p.m. It is closed on all state-observed holidays, together with the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For further data, go to the  New York State Museum website and subscribe to our newsletter.