A love of art and culture drew me to New York City in the fall of 1997. My life has revolved around art and artists since my high school days in Montana. After moving to the Bay Area in the late 60's I soon became involved in the San Francisco art scene, and quickly became a collector and patron. I attended California College of Arts and Crafts and received my certificate in Gallery Management in 1981. I worked as gallery director at Gregory Ghent Fine Arts for several years, before having two of my own galleries, G'nette Gardens Gallery in Montclair and later the Art Club in Oakland. During this period of time I served as Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the City of Oakland.
In 1996 I discovered a new passion when I began my studies of Sogetsu School Ikebana with Sensei, Soho Sakai. I continued my course of study and received my Teaching Certificate in 2001.
After closing my galleries, I was ready to expand my horizons and set my sights on New York. Fate placed me in an art loft located directly across the street from the World Trade Center.
I had the good fortune to enjoy the richness of living in that area for four years. There was so much culture at my fingertips. The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council provided free cultural events for the public almost daily. Many of them took place in the plaza of the World Trade Center, both at noontimes and in the evenings. When bands played we could hear the music in our loft.
I shared the loft with my companion, Jim Lecce. Jim, a renaissance man, had retired from a distinguished career in science, and was now following his dream to be a sculptor. We both indulged in the culture New York had to offer.
The morning of September 11, 2001, found us in our 4th floor loft at 110 Liberty St. watching history unfold before our eyes. Not wanting to become part of the hysteria and panic, we remained inside our loft; never imagining the towers would collapse. Jim was capturing the event with his digital camera as I prepared to evacuate by organizing important papers and possessions. After completing that task, I cleaned the apt. so when we returned everything would be in perfect condition. My last task was to change the water in my flower arrangements and freshen them up. Jim watched the South Tower begin its descent, and ran across the loft, yelling at me, "Get out of here, the building is coming down." We were on our way into our hallway, when the force of the debris cloud, traveling at 50 mph, burst our window and flooded our place with dust and debris.
We immediately headed for the rear exit, only to be stopped in our tracks, by that Killer Cloud, roaring down the street. We returned to our apt. for wet towels to breath through, and after the cloud had passed were able to escape out a rear exit. So began my life as a 9/ll survivor.
We stayed in New York for five weeks in a hotel provided by the Red Cross. This gave me the opportunity to return to our loft and rescue pieces of art, as well as my treasured vase collection.
I returned to a home that I had maintained in the Bay Area in mid-October 2001.
As the shock slowly wore off, I worked on a series
of multi-media floral interpretations, which reflected
both my background in contemporary art and my studies
in Ikebana. These arrangements acted as my self-prescribed
therapy as I struggled to regain my spirit.
I also felt compelled to write and document my experiences
as eyewitness, displaced resident, and artist in my
book entitled "Fortunate: A Personal Diary of
9/11" printed by Autumn Press in Emeryville,
CA. in June 2003. This book is currently available
through this website
As time goes on, I continue to reflect on and process
the events of 9/ll through a collection of art I call
"The Need To Remember." I hope you find
solace in it's folds.
-Janette MacKinlay-
|
