"Tribute in Light" again illuminates the downtown skyline on 9/11

On the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, two art presentations are returning to Lower Manhattan carrying the spirit of both commemoration and renewal. The first is "Tribute in Light," the twin, skyward-aimed spotlights that New Yorkers first glimpsed in the spring of 2002. Since then, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised to bring the lights back each year on September 11 as part of the city's memorial.

The other is "Evening Stars," a four-day dance festival that debuted at the Trade Center plaza in September 1999. It will be the first "large-scale arts presentation in Lower Manhattan" on September 11 since the attacks, according to producers from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC).

Together the two shows mark Lower Manhattan's resilience and remembrance. Here is a closer look at each.

Tribute in Light

At 6:55 p.m. on March 11, 2002, 88 high-wattage spotlights were switched on by Gov. George Pataki and 12-year-old Valerie Webb, who lost her father on September 11, 2001. The lights formed two tremendous vertical beams of light reminiscent of the World Trade Center's twin towers.

Named "Tribute in Light," the installation was created in collaboration between artists Paul Myoda and Julian LaVerdiere, architects Richard Nash Gould, John Bennett, and Gustavo Bonevardi, and renowned lighting designer Paul Marantz. The group worked initially with organizers from the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time to make the idea a reality in time for the six-month anniversary of the Trade Center attacks.

"Evening Stars" comes to the Battery Park lawn this week

This year at dusk on September 11, "Tribute in Light" will once again light up the Lower Manhattan sky for people as far as 25 miles away to see.

"Our hope is that the 'Tribute in Light' memorial provides a small amount of respite," said Mayor Bloomberg in a press release. "The intention is…to provide all New Yorkers with a place to pay tribute to the memory of those we have lost in the tragic events of September 11th."

The installation, which the artists originally called "Phantom Towers," was a tremendous, joint undertaking requiring a massive scale of work and electricity to power it. The lights are anchored on two 50-square-foot platforms situated in an empty lot in Battery Park City. General Electric provided the original 88, 7,000-watt Space Cannon spotlights, which are illuminated by a donation from Con Edison. A grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will fund the purchase of lights, technical support, and on-going maintenance for the first five years of the annual commemoration, during which time the Municipal Art Society will contribute funds for any remaining costs.

Evening Stars

This year, Battery Park will again be host to the premier summer dance festival "Evening Stars." Part of the third annual Downtown NYC River to River Festival, "Evening Stars" is produced by the 30-year-old LMCC, and the Joyce Theater, one of four cultural institutions chosen to be part of the rebuilt World Trade Center site.

Chinese Folk Dance Company performs Sept. 12 at 2 p.m.(Ellen Crane, photo)

Shows will take place nightly September 9 through 12 at 7:30 p.m. on the Battery Park lawn, with an additional show Sunday the 12th at 2 p.m.

"'Evening Stars" has always been the flagship event for LMCC since the festival was launched in 1999," said Tom Healy, LMCC president. "The finest dance companies in the world have traditionally participated in the festival and this year is no exception, with companies as acclaimed and diverse as American Ballet Theatre, MOMIX, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company sharing the bill."

For more information about "Evening Stars" performances, schedules, and participating dance companies, visit www.lmcc.net, www.joyce.org, or www.rivertoriverNYC.com.