|  Unique
image of World Trade Center Memorial Lights chosen as 9/11 anniversary
poster.
Update:
Thank you to all that helped make this project a success.
We distributed over 250,000 free posters. Although we
no longer have the free poster we still are producing
our regular prints of this piece and others. See our
New York Print collection for details here.
Note: We
have had reports of this poster selling for high amounts on
auction sites. This is against our wishes. If you find this
poster being sold anywhere, we would like to hear about it.
Dana
Point, CA– Sept. 3, 2002 – From firehouses around Ground
Zero to the Maury Povich TV Show, the Tower of Lights "Remembrance"
poster printed by PSG (Printing Services of Greensboro) and over
25 other printing firms is reaching out with a message of hope and
rebirth on the anniversary of this nation’s worst terrorist
attack.
Since its release on August 13,2002 by PSG, word about the free poster,
has traveled all around the country. Both PSG and Cliff Wassmann,
the California professional photographer who captured the Tower
of Lights on film, are finding that this particular image is impacting
the hearts of so many people.
A travel photographer whose specialty is photographing ancient ruins
and sacred sites around the world, Wassmann felt no desire to photograph
the World Trade Center site after the attack and add to the nations
collection of destructive images, but upon seeing the tribute in
light realized it was time to return to New York and photograph
America’s new sacred space.
"Wassmann shot this image on the last night of the illumination,"
explained Teresa Yeager, PSG’s marketing manager, "and
as the lights reached toward the sky in the early morning mist,
somehow a heart-like figure was created against the clouds overhead.
The picture is absolutely beautiful, but perhaps it is the heart
that is drawing so many people across America to it." When
Yeager initially began focusing on an image for the 9/11 anniversary,
she wanted to find one that "invoked Americans to pause and
remember those who lost their lives at the hands of terrorists."
And being a Navy veteran, Yeager says she was also concerned about
the dwindling signs of patriotism and hoped that whatever image
she chose, it would impress upon Americans the importance of remembering
those men and women still fighting overseas for our freedom. continued
But neither she nor Wassmann ever anticipated just how much of an
impact this one particular shot would seemingly have on the entire
country. "From the moment the poster was released, the response
was phenomenal," said Yeager. "We planned to print only
80,000 of the posters at PSG and with all the requests we are receiving
from around the country, we hoped that other printers across the
nation will unite with us and help get this poster into the hands
of everyone who so desires to have it." Once word got out that
the image was available to printers that wanted to participate,
over 25 joined with PSG bringing the total print run to over 250,000.
Aside from the poster, the image was used in a variety of other
ways. According to Wassmann, corporations had special presentations
and services on that day and requested to use that image as well
as others he shot of the twin lights. It was used in special web
presentations, as backdrops for 9/11 religious services, on newsletters,
and now on the official New York State handbook of State services.
"Even the New York City Mayor’s office called to ask
permission to post the image on a new section of Mayor Bloomberg’s
web site."
Although the poster is free, people are encouraged to donate to
September’s Mission, which is a non-profit organization founded
by Monica Iken, who lost her husband in the tragedy. His body was
never found and it’s the goal of September’s Mission
to play a key role in the construction of a permanent memorial on
the site that takes into consideration the wishes of the victims’
families. For more information on this organization, please visit
www.septembersmission.org
To
request your free posters by mail, see the info below. There is
a $7.00 shipping and handling fee, In California, posters may be
picked up at Wassmann Fine Arts Gallery for no charge while supplies
last , 34118 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point, CA 949-240-8721 The
complete collection of Wassmann's New York series is a available
here.
for
more info: e.mail:cliff@artseek.com
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