Here Is New York

here is new york™ was organized by four individuals in response to the World Trade Center tragedy, and to the unprecedented flood of images that resulted from it. Its aim is to collect, organize, display, and preserve for historical purposes the broadest possible view of this event and its aftermath.

By displaying images related to the World Trade Center tragedy in exhibition spaces and via the Internet, here is new york bears witness, and provides a memorial to the individuals involved. By accepting related testaments from all who wish to submit them, here is new york provides a democratic forum for discussion of this and future tragic global events. By offering to public charities the net proceeds from the sale of exhibited works, here is new york assists those whose lives have been directly affected.

here is new york is subtitled "a democracy of photographs" because the images on display have been submitted by anyone and everyone ae not only top photojournalists and other professional photographers, but also amateurs of every stripe. Each image is digitally scanned, printed on archival paper, and displayed in truly democratic style ae anonymously and without frames. All of the prints are being sold to the public at the same fixed and nominal price: $25. Net proceeds from this exhibition are being donated to the Children's Aid Society's World Trade Center Fund.

In the first two months of its existence, here is new york has raised more than $500,000 from the sale of digital prints. These funds are specifically allocated to the children of the many victims who did not have substantial corporate or municipal insurance policies ae people such as cleaning staff, private tradesmen, service people, visitors, and passersby. On an even greater scale, this grassroots exhibition has provided a venue for thousands of people to bear witness to what has happened, to work through their emotions, and to reaffirm their ties to the city and its people.

More than 3,000 visitors each day form lines down the block to visit the exhibition's two small SoHo storefronts. More than 700 prints per day are being sold. The archive now comprises an excess of 3,000 photographs with new images continuing to be added daily.

here is new york continues to develop rapidly. The website for the exhibition, www.hereisnewyork.org, has gotten more than ten million hits. It is expected that millions of people will eventually see the physical images in venues across America and around the world. here is new york is without question the largest archive of its kind in history, and may well become the most looked-at exhibition of our time.

Media Attention

here is new york has been featured in all of the major New York newspapers and by many local and national television networks, including CBS, PBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and National Geographic. Dan Rather, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O'Donnell, Dateline, and 60 Minutes have all covered this exhibition. Countries such as the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, and Japan have sent television crews to the exhibition.

Traveling Exhibition

Beyond its New York location, here is new york will eventually travel to venues throughout North America and around the world. The first show outside of New York is scheduled to open at the Chicago Cultural Center, February 1 - March 30, 2002.

Website

An extensive website is being developed to facilitate print sales via the internet. Once this is operational we expect to sell many thousands of prints each day, to buyers from almost every country.

Book

Publishers from several countries are currently negotiating to produce a book of the exhibit and a number of major New York museums and libraries have expressed interest in preserving this collection for future generations.

Immediate Need

The exhibition has clearly struck a nerve. The response to here is new york has exceeded all expectations, and it can no longer continue to operate on a strictly volunteer grassroots basis. It is in urgent need of operating funds, equipment, and professional expertise.

Rationale

Supporting here is new york will aid the victims of the World Trade Center disaster and the people of New York, as well as form a basis for continuing efforts of a similar nature.

Administration

here is new york has received approval from the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit foundation. To date, it has been administered on a voluntary basis by The Aaron Siskind Foundation. The accountant for here is new york is Bennet Grutman, of Davis & Grutman.

Legal Counsel

Victoria B. Bjorklund and Joanna E. Pressman of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, one of the world's leading global law firms, provide legal counsel for here is new york. For intellectual property issues, here is new york is consulting with Rosalind Lichter, of the Law Offices of Rosalind Lichter. All firms have donated their time to the cause.

Founding Directors

Alice Rose George

An independent curator and organizer for photography who was a long-time photo editor for Time magazine and, more recently, Details magazine.

Gilles Peress

An internationally acclaimed photo-documentarian who is a principal at Magnum and has focused his vision on the most pressing social conflicts of our time.

Michael Shulan

A writer who has long explored the intersection of words and images and has worked extensively with digital media.

Charles Traub

A photographer, Chairperson of the MFA Program in Photography and the Related Media at New York School of Visual Arts, and the former director of Light Gallery.

Donations

Checks should be made out to here is new york and sent to:

here is new york
116 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012

Further information about here is new york is available by contacting Press Director Amy Wentz, at press@hereisnewyork.org.