JCALs 9/11 Exhibit Abruptly Removed

The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning installed its new Windows on Jamaica exhibit, "Falling," which features images of victims of the World Trade Center attacks falling to their deaths, in the late hours of September 10. The controversy wasnt far behind.
"Falling" was unveiled at sunrise on September 11, and it was not long before outraged citizens shot back, assailing both the JCAL and Sharon Paz, the 33-year-old Israeli immigrant who created the piece using pictures she had taken from the Internet, before the exhibit was abruptly taken down the evening of September 23, one day after JCAL Executive Director Alex Campos insisted to the Courier "Falling" would continue its full run until October 5.
Campos did not return repeated calls Tuesday, and Harlan Chaney, spokesman for JCAL, was not available for comment.
Last week, a statue of a woman falling from the Trade Centers, entitled "Tumbling Woman," was removed from Rockefeller Center in Manhattan when passersby deemed it too graphic. "Falling," which shows over 15 falling bodies and stretches three stories, had drawn comparisons to "Tumbling Woman" in the local press.
"People are upset because it appears to be an insensitive reminder of 9/11," said Chaney, who is the Centers manager for marketing and outreach. "I can definitely see where people would get that."
But with new attention shone on the Center after "Tumbling Woman" was removed last weekend, the Centers hierarchy began digging in its boots against criticism, saying it would not condone censorship and then unexpectedly removed the exhibit Monday night.
Alex Campos, executive director of JCAL, had said the difference between "Falling" and "Tumbling Woman" is the difference between "public" and "private" art, and the responsibilities public and private art have to the community. "Private" art, such as exhibits at JCAL or elsewhere, provoke emotion through aesthetics or gore. "We are an educating and empowering institution," said Campos. "It was not the intention of the artist or the Center to be considered insensitive, but there are two ways of educating and empowering. One is to be aesthetic and graceful, and one is different, but to be powerful at the same time."
But the issue between "public" and "private" art was muddled from the time "Falling" went up on the 11th. The Windows on Jamaica project broadcasts to Jamaica Avenue even if it is not, as Campos says, public art and to that end, the soft-spoken Paz originally considered displaying the graphic "Falling" in the buildings interior.
"I didnt want to hurt or upset anyone. I wanted to put it in the consciousness, so people could deal with the emotions the piece provokes," said Paz.
Living in Chelsea after moving from Israel five years ago, Paz said terrorism was a fact of her life but the magnitude of September 11 "brought a lot of questions" for her. She also said she knew the final product of "Falling" was a potential lightning rod for critics despite the fact that she won a grant from the Lower Manhattan Council of the Arts when it requested pieces exploring the "trauma" of September 11.
Armed with her grant, Paz installed the exhibit in the Centers outer windows the evening of September 10 after originally planning to display "Falling" inside.
The switch was a "mutual decision," said Paz. "I was talking with the curator, and we made it go outside and available to the public. It becomes a public piece. Now its a question about public art. How do you decide what to put up and what not to put up? Its an issue of censorship."
Campos had insisted the Windows on Jamaica is not "public art." He refused to give any definition of public art beyond calling it "a permanent piece to some extent," and insisted "Falling" did not qualify and would not be removed before October 5, when JCAL was to install its next Windows on Jamaica, entitled "Global Priorities." He even pointed to "Falling" as a beacon for JCALs educational ideals, saying, "Its a forum for the community" and "we bring our fears to the table."
In making the piece, Paz said she brought her fears to the table, and the negative reaction to the piece seems to have exacerbated any doubts she had about placing it in the public arena. When asked on the afternoon of the 13th during a phone conversation whether "Falling" should stay up or be brought down before October 5, there was a long pause on the end of the line before the artist, speaking in deliberate words and measured tones, answered.
"Thats a good question. It brings a lot of questions, actually. I feel its an important piece Its very hard for me to say," said Paz. Later in the conversation, Paz paused when asked once more, but answered, "Originally, it was supposed to be up longer. Its now three weeks instead of several months. I think for this time, its important to put up." But now it is gone.
No Explanation
Everyone at JCAL had said they were excited about the piece because they had been searching for a piece of 9/11 artwork for months.
JCAL Curator Heng-Gil Han had said the Center had been on the lookout for outstanding pieces relating to 9/11 for some time and had come up empty. "We have been searching for artwork for an entire year," he said. "We looked at many, many works. Most works were just a recapitulation of images in the media. Those images are already out there. We didnt really feel like doing it again. These are different images on the same subject matter."
Paz said she started thinking about the piece in the aftermath of the attacks because of the medias focus on "heroes." Paz said her work shifted focus away from the heroes and toward the everyday people who perished in the attacks.
"My intention was to deal with this moment that could be a moment of freedom that was very short. The media always talks about the buildings, nationalism, and the politics behind it. I wanted to deal with the actual victims that were there," she said.
Due to the enormous reaction to "Falling," JCAL was to hold a forum where Paz will discuss and answer questions about the work on October 1. Paz said she still would like to hear what people have to say, but doesnt know whether she will get the chance.
"Its up to them (to hold the forum). I still want to talk to people and see what they think," said Paz.