Cathartic Art: Remembering September 11th, is a juried art exhibition commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragic events now known as 9-11. The exhibition features over 30 original art works from national and local artists from 9 states including Louisiana.  Art pieces include oil and acrylic paintings, woodwork, drawings, digital prints, textiles, collages, sculpture, watercolors, enamel, textiles, and poetry.

Artists submitted pieces of art that expressed their personal reflections on the tragic events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. How can Americans come to terms with the history of violence and destruction? Art can serve as a healing endeavor and the creative, thoughtful and expressive art works in this collection assembled by the West Baton Rouge Museum begin to express how Americans across the United States tried to contend with the events of 9/11/01.  For example, New York artist Robbii Wessin wrote, “To this day, the 9/11 attacks are still largely incomprehensible to me. As such, this art work is less about the literal representation of the loss on that day and more about the struggle to understand what happened….Perhaps we will never truly know why it was thought that all of the killing would change the world but, in the end, how could all of the killing not change the world?”

The opening reception  for the exhibit will be held Saturday, July 23 at 2:00 p.m. at the West Baton Rouge Museum. The featured speaker is artist Karin Batten from New York City who lost her studio that was on the 91^st floor in the south tower on September 11th, 2001. The jury selections for outstanding work will be awarded at the reception and refreshments will be served. The awards are made possible with the generous support from the West Baton Rouge Historical Association. This event is free and open to the public. For more information please call (225) 336-2422 x15.