NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

MUSEUM & PUBLIC PROGRAMS:IN 2020, THE MUSEUM LAUNCHED THE PHYSICAL EXHIBITION "K-9 COURAGE" THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE DOGS WHO SERVED DURING THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS FOLLOWING THE 9/11 ATTACKS, AS WELL AS TWO DIGITAL EXHIBITIONS: ONE FOCUSED ON THE PRE-9/11 HISTORY OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND THE SECOND EXAMINING THE INTELLIGENCE AND MILITARY OPERATIONS THAT LED TO THE KILLING OF OSAMA BIN LADEN NEARLY A DECADE AFTER 9/11. TWO NEW AUDIO TOURS WERE ALSO DEVELOPED AND RELEASED: ONE FOR THE OUTDOOR MEMORIAL PLAZA FEATURING A 45-MINUTE TOUR ABOUT 9/11, THE VICTIMS OF THE ATTACKS, AND THE DESIGN OF THE MEMORIAL; AND A SPECIAL TOUR ACCOMPANYING THE PHYSICAL EXHIBITION "K-9 COURAGE".FOR THE 19TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS, THE MUSEUM AGAIN PRODUCED THE "TRIBUTE IN LIGHT", THE ICONIC ANNUAL MEMORIAL THAT DOMINATES THE LOWER MANHATTAN SKYLINE FROM DUSK ON SEPTEMBER 11 TO DAWN ON SEPTEMBER 12. THE YEAR 2020 MARKED THE MUSEUM'S SIXTH YEAR OF OPERATION, DESPITE THE CHALLENGE OF A GOVERNMENT MANDATED CLOSURE. IN ADDITION TO SERVING VISITORS THROUGH ITS CORE EXHIBITIONS, THE MUSEUM PRESENTED PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND MAINTAINED CONTINUAL OBJECT AND EXHIBITION ROTATIONS, WHICH WERE NECESSARY DUE TO CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS AND LOAN EXPIRATIONS. OBJECTS AND EXHIBITION ROTATIONS ALSO PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO FEATURE MORE OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION. WE HOSTED VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS FOR THE MILITARY AND VETERAN COMMUNITY ON VETERANS DAY.PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS WERE GREATLY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC, AS PROGRAMMING WAS SUSPENDED FOR A TIME BEFORE BEING MOVED ONLINE. APPROXIMATELY 20,000 INDIVIDUALS TOOK PART IN OUR ONSITE AND VIRTUAL TOURS OF THE MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM IN 2020. WEEKLY YOUTH AND FAMILY PROGRAMS SERVED OVER 500 PARTICIPANTS IN 14 PROGRAMS BEFORE BEING SUSPENDED IN MARCH. DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, OVER 3,200 STUDENTS TOOK PART IN OUR ONSITE AND VIRTUAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS. NEARLY 300 TEACHERS TOOK PART IN OUR VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS. OVER 344,000 STUDENTS, FROM ALL 50 STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD, PARTICIPATED IN OUR ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY IN THE SCHOOLS WEBINAR WHICH CONTINUES TO SERVE AS ONE OF OUR SIGNATURE ANNUAL PROGRAMS. OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE FOCUSED PRINCIPALLY ON DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING OF 9/11'S CONNECTION TO CURRENT EVENTS AND THE ATTACKS' ONGOING CULTURAL IMPACT, MOVED ONLINE AS WELL IN THE LATE SPRING. IN TOTAL, OVER 3,200 PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN 2020. THE 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM CONTINUED ITS PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS, WHICH PROVIDE AN IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF 9/11 FOR OFFICERS AND AGENTS FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT, INTELLIGENCE, AND MILITARY GROUPS AND SERVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE SPECIAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN 9/11 AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS. EACH PROGRAM IS GEARED TOWARD MEETING THE UNIQUE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF THE AGENCY IN ATTENDANCE. IN 2020, THIS PROGRAM SERVED 1,355 INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS.SUPPORTING THE PUBLIC-FACING ACTIVITIES OF THE MUSEUM WERE ONGOING EFFORTS TO BUILD, PRESERVE, CATALOGUE, AND MAKE ACCESSIBLE ARTIFACTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION, THEREBY ENHANCING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS AND THEIR ONGOING CONSEQUENCES. THROUGH DONATIONS, STRATEGIC PURCHASES, AND INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY THE MUSEUM'S ORAL HISTORIANS, THE MUSEUM CONTINUED ACTIVE GROWTH OF ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION WITH NEW OBJECTS, DOCUMENTS, AND ORAL TESTIMONIES. (THE ADVENT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC REQUIRED TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF THE LATTER IN-PERSON RECORDING PROGRAM, HOWEVER.) BY THE END OF 2020, THE MUSEUM'S ACQUISITIONS NUMBERED MORE THAN 21,100 THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS, 45,400 PRINT AND DIGITAL IMAGES, 360 MOVING IMAGES, AND 3,700 ORAL HISTORIES. NOTABLE ACQUISITIONS IN 2020 INCLUDED: 312 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE 9/11 RESPONSE EFFORTS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES; A MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIR USED BY RAY PFEIFER, RETIRED FDNY RESPONDER AND CONGRESSIONAL HEALTH CARE ACTIVIST, UNDERSCORING THE DIRE HEALTH EFFECTS ISSUES SUFFERED BY 9/11 RESCUE AND RECOVERY WORKERS; AND 121 HIGH RESOLUTION DIGITAL PORTRAIT IMAGES COMPRISING AN ARCHIVE OF PEOPLE DEPICTED IN JOE MCNALLY'S 2001 "FACES OF GROUND ZERO" COLLECTION. ONE NOTABLE OUTGOING LOAN IN 2020 WAS THE PRESENTATION AT HISTORIC GRACIE MANSION OF COLLAGES CREATED IN LATE 2001 BY STUDENTS FROM THE CALHOUN SCHOOL IN NEW YORK CITY AND DRAWINGS OF VOLUNTEERS AND EVERYDAY CITIZENS INVOLVED IN THE AFTERMATH RESPONSE EFFORTS BY CANADIAN ARTIST JOHN COBURN. MOUNTED IN THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY, THE EXHIBITION "CATALYST: ART AND SOCIAL CHANGE" FEATURED APPROXIMATELY 40 WORKS EXPLORING HOW CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS CREATIVELY INTERROGATE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR EQUALITY, EQUITY, AND FREEDOM ACROSS RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER LINES. ALSO IN 2020, COLLECTIONS STAFF COLLABORATED WITH OVER 10 COLLECTING INSTITUTIONS TO PLAN OUTGOING LOANS FOR EXHIBITIONS RELATED TO THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11. FOUR INCOMING LOANS WERE NEGOTIATED AND SECURED FROM INDIVIDUALS AND COLLECTING INSTITUTIONS FOR ROTATION INTO THE MUSEUM'S CORE AND TEMPORARY DISPLAYS. IN 2020, APPROXIMATELY 400 OBJECTS WERE ADDED TO "INSIDE THE COLLECTION", THE MUSEUM'S ONLINE COLLECTIONS CATALOG. FIVE NEW FEATURE GALLERIES WERE CREATED, HIGHLIGHTING OUR K-9 COURAGE EXHIBITION, WORLD TRADE CENTER SOUVENIRS, AND THE RAGSDALE EEPHEMERA COLLECTION. WE ALSO LAUNCHED FRONTLINE RESPONDERS AND FACES OF GROUND ZERO GALLERIES IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. INSIDE THE COLLECTION HAS BEEN FUNCTIONING WELL AS A RESEARCH TOOL, PROVIDING A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR PERSONNEL ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, STAFF AT OTHER MUSEUMS, STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, AND EDUCATORS. APPROXIMATELY 17 EXTERNAL RESEARCH QUERIES WERE FIELDED THROUGH THE SITE IN 2020.

CONSTRUCTION:WHILE THE INSTITUTION CONTINUED TO PROCEED WITH CRITICAL REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE IN 2020, THERE WERE NO MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UNDERWAY.