A major new “Ground Zero” exhibit, serving thousands of people who visit the World Trade Center site in New York every day, is to open at historic St. Paul’s Chapel in lower Manhattan on Monday May 3.

This has been announced by the Rev. Dr. Daniel Paul Matthews, Rector of Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Chapel, which commissioned the exhibit.

“Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero,” designed by New York-based ESI Design (formally Edwin Schlossberg, Inc.) in partnership with St. Paul’s Chapel, highlights the remarkable volunteer-driven relief effort following the tragic events of September 11th. “Unwavering Spirit” will open to the public on Monday, May 3. A dedication ceremony will be held at “the little chapel that stood” on Sunday, May 2.

Among features of the new visitor experience will be interactive computer stations containing an artifact archive, a video anthology, an interactive timeline and provision for visitors to send messages from the chapel. Elements from the existing exhibit at the chapel, including banners sent from around the United States and the world in the weeks after 9/11, will remain as part of the new exhibit.

“We have been overwhelmed at the public response to the story of the chapel’s extraordinary ministry to World Trade Center recovery workers,” Dr. Matthews said. “We developed the current exhibit at the chapel within the space of a few weeks before the first anniversary of the attacks, thinking it would have a life of a few months at the most.

“Instead, it has drawn more than a million visitors in 18 months, showing that St. Paul’s has become a place of pilgrimage for Americans and international visitors. Given the enormous response from ‘Ground Zero pilgrims,’ we wanted to take the chapel to the next level. ESI Design helped us create exhibits that engage visitors and invite them to share their thoughts and feelings.”

Dr. Matthews and Ed Schlossberg, Principal Designer at ESI Design, noted that the exhibit would be quite distinct from a World Trade Center memorial.

“Everyone—from relief workers to ‘Ground Zero pilgrims’—has their own story related to September 11,” Mr. Schlossberg said. “The new exhibit program invites visitors to share their stories—in images and text—with others. And, by focusing on the relief effort following 9/11, it will be differentiated from the planned memorial at the World Trade Center site.”

“In addition, the exhibit program delivers a message of hope and healing by telling the stories of people who donated artifacts to the chapel,” said Frank Migliorelli, Director of Interactive Design at ESI Design. “We were moved by the stories we heard and wanted them to be shared with others. For example, we captured the voices of the Oklahoma City firefighters in an audio clip. In an effort to reassure rescuers that they were not alone, they created a hope-filled message on a banner and included signatures from members of the community. The audio clips are complemented by touching images such as the firefighter curled up on a church pew clutching a teddy bear that was sent by a well wisher, video clips from the relief effort and actual artifacts on display in the Chapel.”

Under the guidance of the St. Paul’s team, ESI applied its “experiential” approach to the numerous artifacts donated to the chapel. By creating user-friendly interfaces, ESI enabled visitors to access the wealth of stories and wisdom that stemmed from relief workers and volunteers.

The exhibit will cover the complete history of St. Paul’s, beginning with its founding during the colonial era, in 1766, and including the role it played in George Washington’s inauguration as the first president of the United States in 1789.

The exhibit is open from 10 am to 6 pm from Mondays through Saturdays, and from 9 am to 4 pm Sundays. Admission is free. The chapel accepts donations from members of the public.

Posted on Trinity News, April 29, 2004