print-friendly version	WINTER 2002, PROMOTIONAL

Dedicated to those who sacrificed and served on September 11, 2001, and the weeks following, the Wall of Expression surrounds the Old Patent Office Building at 8th and F Streets in Washington, D.C. The building, home of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is currently undergoing extensive renovation while its collections tour the world.

Together, Museums Create Wall of Expression

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
—Thomas Paine, from The American Crisis, December 1776

On the morning of September 11, 2001 Americans watched in horror as we witnessed the sheer force of hatred. As a nation we mourned, and as a nation we must heal. Voicing our collective sorrow, we used art as our medium and created the Wall of Expression, seeking to heal ourselves and support a grieving nation. This wall serves as a memorial to those who sacrificed, a tribute to those who served, and an expression of hope for the future.

In December 1776, five months after the Declaration of Independence was issued, Washington’s forces were retreating, their morale low. The American commander had these words of Paine read to his men just before they crossed the Delaware River to Trenton. They are equally relevant today.