9-11 Tribute In Lights Needs Support To Shine Into The Future
September 11th is always clear in the mind of any New Yorker. Whether directly affected by the terror attacks or not, that day hit close to home for each of us. The Municipal Arts Society stepped up on the six-month anniversary of the attacks with a Tribute in Light to the Twin Towers in memory of all of those we lost on that horrific day. The Tribute in Light brings two beams of light into the Manhattan skyline, taking the shape of the buildings that used to stand high into Downtown New York City.
Every year, on the anniversary of the terror attacks, the Municipal Arts Society shines these beams of blue light into the sky until dawn on September 12th. The beams are made up of “eighty-eight 7,000-watt xenon light bulbs positioned into two 48-foot squares” says the MAS website, a tribute that has been going on every year since the attacks, starting on the six-month anniversary in March 2002. The tribute is an expensive endeavor however—that costs $500,000 a year reports DNAinfo—that is not guaranteed to continue after the 10-year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks and the MAS is looking for donations to keep the tribute shining each year. The lights play as a reminder to all of those who can see the Manhattan skyline; they are a shining symbol that reaches four-miles into the sky to allow New Yorkers to reflect on that day nearly 10 years ago and remember all of the people they lost, so the Municipal Arts Society is working hard to continue the tribute into the future.