An Artist Whose Studio Was in The North Tower Muses on 9/11

An Artist Whose Studio Was in  The North Tower Muses on 9/11
Donald Bracken has curated a show of work at Five Points in Torrington, Conn., by himself and five other artists remembering the New York attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo of work by Don Bracken

Donald Bracken now lives in Cornwall, Conn., but in the late 1990s he was living in New York City and working as an artist in a building that most of us think of as being largely dedicated to finance: The North Tower of the World Trade Center. 

“Four of the artists in the show, myself included were in the pilot artist in residence program, launched by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 1997,” Bracken said in an email last week. 

“From 1997 to 2001, 130 artists worked in the World Trade Center in unused office spaces. 

“The space  where I worked was a 10,000- square- foot room on the 91st floor of the North Tower, that had the floor tiles removed and the ceiling tiles removed. You could see the pipes. There were no lights.”

The show he mentioned, above, is one he created and curated for the Five Points Gallery in downtown Torrington, Conn., and features work by himself, Susan Crile, Charlotte Ghiorse, Pamela Lawton, Gwinn Loman and Torild Stray. The show opened at the end of August and is on display until Sept. 25.

The terror attacks on the building where he had worked for four years obviously had an impact on him.

 The 20th anniversary of those attacks was incentive enough to put this show together; the difficult withdrawal in recent weeks from Afghanistan — which coincides with that 20th anniversary — was not anticipated when Bracken proposed the show. 

There was already a lot of thought and emotion kicking around in his head, all of it intensified in recent weeks. Bracken is trying to make sense of it.

Before the terror attacks, Bracken said, “I made  paintings looking through the windows of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on the 91st floor of New York City, a  living organism, the landscape, the weather — from a vantage point that framed a world that no longer exists. 

“My paintings that were in response to 9/11 are about fractured reality, mortality, healing. 

“The perception of the omnipotence of NYC was shattered on 9/11.

“My work delves into the collective psychic wounds that are felt to this day and repeatedly reopened, as in the recent events in Afghanistan. Through the lens of the windows of the World Trade Center, I remember the time before and after 9/11.”

 

“Remembering Ground Zero: 20th Anniversary Show” is at Five Points Gallery in Torrington, Conn., until Sept. 25.

Gallery hours  are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and by appointment at 860-618-7222.

There will be a  Meet the Artists Zoom talk on Friday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m.

Latest News

Wake Robin public hearing closes

Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.

Provided

LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.

The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.

Keep ReadingShow less
Judith Marie Drury

COPAKE — Judith Marie “Judy” Drury, 76, a four-year resident of Copake, New York, formerly of Millerton, New York, died peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at Vassar Bros. Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, surrounded by her loving family and her Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Judy worked as a therapy aide for Taconic DDSO in Wassaic, New York, prior to her retirement on Feb. 1, 2004. She then went on to work in the Housekeeping Department at Vassar Bros. Medical Center for several years.

Born Jan. 2, 1949, in Richford, Vermont, she was the daughter of the late Leo J. and Marie A. (Bean) Martel. She attended Roeliff Jansen Central School in Columbia County, New York, in her early years. Judy was an avid sports fan and she was particularly fond of the New England Patriots football team and the New York Rangers hockey team. She enjoyed spending time with her family and traveling to Florida, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania for many years. She was a longtime parishioner of Faith Bible Chapel of Shekomeko on Silver Mountain in Millerton as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jeremy Dakin

AMESVILLE — Jeremy Dakin, 78, passed away Aug. 31, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center after a long battle with COPD and other ailments.

Jeremy was a dear friend to many, and a fixture of the Amesville community. There will be a service in his memory at Trinity Lime Rock Episcopal Church on Sept. 27 at 11 a.m.

Keep ReadingShow less