The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation today announced that 5,200 submissions have been received from 62 nations and 49 states for the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition, making it the largest design competition in history. The competition, being administered by LMDC, was created to select a memorial to honor the victims of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and the September 11, 2001 attacks.
New York State Governor, George E. Pataki said, “The tremendous response this competition has received from individuals at home and abroad is a true testament of the unity people from around the world have demonstrated since the September 11th attacks. As New Yorkers, we can be proud that thousands of individuals spent countless hours giving so much of themselves in order to pay tribute to and remember the heroism of our friends, family and neighbors. I want to thank everyone who submitted a response and I am confident that, working together, we will build a memorial that is truly befitting of the heroism and enduring strength of the heroes who lost their lives that tragic day."
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, "The outpouring of ideas from the national and international communities has been inspiring. It is this spirit of humanity that will enable us to honor and memorialize those we lost, and bring New York City from a period of healing into a period of remembrance and hope."
LMDC Chairman, John C. Whitehead said, "We had expected significant interest in the memorial competition, but this response has been extraordinary. It underscores the strong feelings of not only artists, designers and architects, but, more importantly, men and women of all ages around the globe who may not be professionals but wished to participate in this most important undertaking. We thank each and every one of them for their efforts."
LMDC President Kevin M. Rampe said, “Thanks to the unwavering support of Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg, the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition is by far the largest design competition in history. I have full confidence that our jury will faithfully discharge the great responsibility with which they have been entrusted and that they will select a fitting and appropriate memorial that will make our nation proud.”
All proposals will be evaluated by the 13 member memorial jury comprised of individuals representing various points of view, including world renowned artists and architects, a family member, a Lower Manhattan resident and business owner, representatives of the Governor and Mayor, and other prominent arts and cultural professionals. The jury will evaluate proposals in a two stage process based on how well each design expresses the mission statement and program, as set forth in the competition guidelines. During the first stage, members of the jury will review anonymous submissions. During the second stage, finalists will be asked to further develop their design proposals, which the LMDC will reveal to the public while the jury continues to deliberate. A final design for the competition will be selected by fall 2003.
To ensure that the members of the jury were informed of the public’s hopes and aspirations for the memorial, the LMDC organized a public outreach campaign called Public Perspectives. The campaign included a mailing to all families of victims of the February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a large scale public forum on May 28, 2003 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and targeted outreach initiatives to Lower Manhattan community groups and organizations, which ensured that all residents, businesses, workers and survivors are involved with the process. Earlier this month a compilation of all the comments received was delivered to each of the jurors.
