On 9/11 at Purdue University North Central's main campus in Westville, a memorial service was held to commemorate the thirteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The service began with an introduction by Judy Jacobi, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Campus Relations, followed by a short address from Pastor Steve Laue, retired from La Porte Hospital, in which was paraphrased in just two words the impact 9/11 had on him: chaos and connectedness.
"People have been asking me, 'Are you going to pray this morning?' My answer is that I haven't stopped... Whatever connects you, lean on that this morning," Laue urged.
PNC's Chancellor James Dworkin also spoke on the subject of where he was that fateful day – at PNC – and the connectedness he, too, felt come out of the tragedy. He mentioned how important it is to PNC to have an I-beam fragment from the World Trade Center housed on campus, which came three years ago for the 10th anniversary of the attacks. He was proud to introduce the newest addition to PNC's commemoration of 9/11, a piece by sculptor Bill Barrett, and to draw attention to a fairly new piece by photographer Mel Theobald.
"This piece is a moving reminder of what I would call abject loss. LEXEME VIII comes with a huge responsibility to always remember," Dworkin noted.
Barrett and his wife, Debora, attended the service and spoke for the dedication of his work, LEXEME VIII. Although Barrett was not in New York at the time of the attacks, he returned to his studio – just 10 blocks from what we all have come to refer to as "ground zero."
"New Yorkers, we just walk and don't say hello, but then –everyone was asking, 'How are you?' and 'Did you get through it okay?' It was almost like being in Indiana, where everyone says, 'Hello,'" Barrett shared about his experience upon returning to New York.
The Memorial Service began at 7:30am. At 7:46am, a moment of silence was observed to honor the time the first plane hit the north tower of the WTC. At approximately 8:03, a second moment of silence was observed to honor the time the second plane hit the south tower of the WTC. The service took about half an hour and ended with a stunning rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Barrett's story and sculpture represent a type of American idealism which is often spoken about but seldom seen in such a way. Born in California and raised in Indiana, the artist attended South Bend Central High School and has established himself as a world-renowned abstract expressionist with works on display across the globe. In response to 9/11, Barrett began a series of 15 works entitled "Lexeme," which means, "a meaningful unit in a language," in an effort to record history with his art. PNC's newest sculpture is his LEXEME VIII, which is over 11 feet tall, 8 feet wide, 6 feet deep, weighs 6 tons, and is made of marble from the same cave as Michelangelo's David.
"I never knew I could do this. It turned out incredibly well," Barrett said about turning over his model to be carved into stone by a fellow artist.
The story of how LEXEME VIII came to PNC is a testament to the generosity of the American spirit. In June, Jacobi contacted the Barretts, seeking to host one of his pieces for PNC's Odyssey Sculpture Collection, just as PNC did 15 years ago. Instead, the Barretts, offered LEXEME VIII as a gift. With the help of Purdue alumnus Thomas Lawyer and his family, along with many others, the sculpture was transported here from Carrara, Italy.
"It's a great place to have it because it has continual numbers of people coming by and seeing it and it'll always be in view. I hope people look at this and start thinking – wondering, 'What is this shape' and 'What does this mean – going in and out.' 'Oh, it does seem to relate to what happened at the World Trade Center in an abstract way.' When we look at things, there are always different ways of interpreting it and I'm not really sure I know exactly what's going on, but it seemed like this was one of the best solutions that I have come up with to say, 'This is a memorial to that event and to the souls and the spirit of how we all felt about it,'" Barrett explained.
"My hope is that children from schools and their teachers and parents can come to enjoy and learn through their visualization and their vision of art. We know that this happens. Aside from coming to a university and having education on their horizon, the students can also learn much more about art and we believe it makes them more world-ready. It's a very competitive environment for students and we want them to have a grasp of both the sciences and technologies, but as importantly, the humanities, also," Jacobi shared, who wanted to make sure that all know any school group that comes to PNC with a teacher can get a free pizza lunch and an interactive tour of the sculptures and other art around campus.
Now LEXEME VIII is home, where Barrett wants it, as a tactile reminder of the events that took place on this day just 13 years ago. PNC's Chancellor Dworkin and all of the PNC staff, faculty, and students will have the opportunity to see this unique piece as they walk around campus. It is open to the public whenever campus is open, so please come see this gorgeous piece.