Saturday, September 10, 2011

WORLD TRADE CENTER 1985



One of my most interesting projects was the design and illustration of a 24 page book that was produced in 1985 for the NYNJ Port Authority. I remember taking my two young daughters with me to photograph the World Trade Building. It became a family outing, a day to visit all of the places in lower Manhattan that we had talked about. The WTC was filled with eager young school children on their class trip to see the building for the first time. The book would eventually become a promotional piece to be given out to all the school children who toured the building and observation desk. It would be a learning tool to keep them busy on the bus or subway trip back home.

After 911, I forgot about the project until yesterday. My grandson was told to wear red, white and blue to school for a 911 Remembrance Day. I pulled the book and the old sketches out of the file to show him. I told him about the observation deck atop the WTC and how far you could see when looking through the binoculars. I told him that there was a wonderful top floor exhibit designed by one of my favorite illustrators , Milton Glaser, who featured the many different breads of the world, and the trade that influenced them. It opened up a dialogue
of different cultures and understanding, perhaps a learning tool for the future.