print-friendly version	MIDDLE SCHOOL, FALL 2002, LAS VEGAS

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 stands as a memorial to those who sacrificed, a tribute to those who served, and as an expression of hope for the future.

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, NW, in Washington, D.C. The building, home of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is currently under-going extensive renovation while its collections tour the world.