As the world remembers the tragedy of 25 years ago, one global city is paying tribute to the lives lost and a legacy of camaraderie. In Toronto, the U.S. Consulate General hosted a special exhibit in collaboration with Canadian artist John Coburn to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Coburn, who previously spent 25 years creating art based on the city, said Canadians like himself felt compelled to travel to New York after the terrorist attacks to lend support in any way they could.
“I've been drawing New York for 25 years before this happened, and I just couldn't watch it on TV anymore. I needed to go down and experience the pain firsthand,” he said.
Coburn said he arrived in the city and began to capture everything he could, from the streets to the inside of the first-responder hub at St. Paul’s Chapel.
“I drew people sitting in grief — construction workers, steelworkers, grandmothers and volunteers,” Coburn said. “Some slept around the clock on the pews above the main floor of St. Paul’s Chapel, while others went downstairs for hot stew or tea before returning to help at Ground Zero.”
Using pen-and-ink art, Coburn was able to embody the chaos of the city, but he also uncovered something unexpected while capturing the smaller stories within the tragedy.
“While drawing the painful aspect, I also experienced the love, and I realized that you know art isn't just about pretty pictures; it does contain the energy of the moment,” Coburn said. “It was heartbreaking, but also beautiful.”
Coburn turned the depictions into a book that was never published. Instead, the artist gifted copies to the families of 9/11 victims. Now, 25 years later, the images are on display for the public, and Coburn said he hopes his story and the exhibit will serve as a reminder to leaders, citizens and the world of the great and long-standing relationship between Canada and the United States.
“It's an opportunity to remember how Canada and the United States have been great comrades and friends for decades,” Coburn said. “What's important is that we move forward as cities, as countries, and just start getting along a bit better.”
