Newsroom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2016

On 15th Anniversary of 9/11:

District Council 37 hosts exhibit of Thirty-six Views of One World Trade Center by artist Brenda Berkman

DC 37 today opened a special art exhibit at union headquarters on renewal and rebirth at Ground Zero in memory of the union’s heroes of Sept. 11, 2001. Thirty-six Views of the World Trade Center is a solo exhibit of stone lithograph prints by artist Brenda Berkman, a retired firefighter, who as a fire officer was a first responder on 9/11, and was the FDNY’s first woman firefighter.

“Today, we pause to reflect and pay tribute to our everyday heroes of 9/11—including our dear DC 37 brothers FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge, Paramedic Carlos Lillo, EMT Lieutenant Ricardo Quinn and Off-Track Betting Clerk Chet Louie, and the hundreds of brave brothers and sisters who raced to the site risking their lives so that others might live,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “But we also look to the future and embrace the spirit of rebirth reflected in the artwork of another first responder, Brenda Berkman.”

In 2006, after 25 years as a firefighter and fire officer for the New York City Fire Dept., Brenda Berkman retired to pursue a life-long desire to create art. Eventually taking up stone lithography, she completed Thirty-six Views of One World Trade Center at the time of the tower’s 2015 opening.

“Since 9/11, I have looked for ways to honor those who were lost on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as to try to help other communities in the United States and abroad that have suffered catastrophic losses from both natural and man-made disasters,” said Berkman, who for nearly a decade led tours for the 9/11 Family Tribute Center. “These lithographs document the rise of One World Trade Center and include workers and first responders as part of the images. I thank District Council 37 for the opportunity to show them.”

Garrido expressed pride in the DC 37 members involved in rescue and recovery efforts after 9/11 and those who—as part of their jobs—helped people evacuate and who returned to their workplaces soon after. He also noted that years of activism resulted in federal funding for their 9/11-related health issues.

“Their efforts cleared the way for the renewal we see today,” said Garrido. “As we open this exhibit, we remember and honor those who died on 9/11 and our hearts are also with those living with the effects of 9/11. We will always remember their sacrifice.”

The exhibit will remain on display until Sept. 27 during gallery hours at union headquarters (M-F 9am-6pm and Sat. 9am-2pm), after which the artworks will become part of the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.