Semi-Finalists Announced for Hoboken September 11th Memorial

Ten Teams Selected from Among the
Finest Artists and Designers in the Metropolitan Area

HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, September 10, 2003 – The Hoboken September 11th Memorial Fund today announced that ten teams have been chosen from among the most talented artists and designers in the New York metropolitan area to submit detailed proposals for a September 11th memorial for the City of Hoboken.  The finalists were chosen by a professional jury empanelled by the Memorial Fund, an organization comprised of city officials, community volunteers, and surviving family members that is charged with raising funds and overseeing the construction of a permanent memorial on Hoboken’s waterfront in honor of the city residents lost on 9/11. 
57 Hoboken residents were lost on September 11, 2001, more than any other New Jersey municipality. 
 
The field of semi-finalists will be narrowed to three finalists, who will then submit detailed concepts, including scale models of their proposals.  After a public review and comment period, the final design will be selected by the members of the Memorial Fund committee and the jurors. 

                                         List and Info for Semi-Finalists

The semi-finalists were selected through a professional juried design competition organized by Buff Suzanne Kavelman, formerly at the American Academy in Rome, the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Kavelman joined the Memorial Fund in 2003 to oversee the design competition phase of the memorial process.

                                         List and Info for professional jury

“We are gratified that we reached this important milestone along this solemn journey,” said Hoboken Mayor David Roberts. “I would like to thank everyone involved in this process for their hard work and dedication. September 11th was a painful day for Hoboken and our nation. This memorial is a very important element in the healing process and a lasting monument to the friends and loved ones we lost.”
 
Memorial Fund Co-Chair Lisa Frigand said, “On behalf of the Memorial Fund committee, and all Hobokenresidents, I would like to thank every one of the talented artists and designers who came forward to be a part of this process.  I would also like to acknowledge the members of our esteemed jury for volunteering their time and talents toward a project so meaningful to our city.  We congratulate the extraordinary ten semi-finalists and look forward with great anticipation to the results of the next phase of the competition.”
 
“ We are very fortunate to have had such a wide universe of impressive candidates who have chosen to be a part of this memorial process,” Ms. Kavelman said.  “I would like to commend our jury members for their thoughtful and thorough review.  Thanks to their insight, and to the visionary work put forward by these many talented artists and designers, the City of Hoboken will most certainly erect a permanent memorial that honors the memories of its lost residents.”
 
The announcement of the competition semi-finalists follows a series of important milestones achieved by the Memorial Fund committee.  In addition to raising more than $30,000 through a grassroots mailing and community fundraisers, the Memorial Fund recently received a $500,000 state grant thanks to the efforts of State Senator Bernard F. Kenny, Jr.  Additionally, a September 11th Memorial Tree Grove will be dedicated onSeptember 11, 2003, that was made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service.
 
Memorial Fund Co-Chair Rick Evans said, “As we look back on two years since September 11, 2001, we also look forward to the day that we will dedicate a permanent, life-affirming memorial on Hoboken’s waterfront park, Pier A Park, in honor of the friends and loved ones we lost.  With the selection of these highly talented artists and designers, we are a very significant step closer to achieving that goal.”