a bit more about 'dear jeff ...'

CLICK HERE TO SEE INTERVIEW

  

With the airing of Chronicle's piece about 'dear jeff ...' I thought it would be a good time to share the story behind the sculpture and some of my work-in-progress sketches. 

Memorializing Amy Toyen through artist Virginia Fitzgerald's creation 'Dear Jeff'

In front of the Avon Free Public Library in Connecticut is the statue in tribute to Amy Toyen who died during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The story of 'dear jeff . . . '
This dress is a commissioned sculpture for a man, Jeff, who lost his fiancée in the events of 9/11/2001. She had flown to New York early that morning to attend a business breakfast at the Windows of the World restaurant.  

On the 10 year anniversary of this tragedy Jeff felt that it was time to let go of his box of memories. He contacted me and asked me if I could create something from his collection of letters and cards and remnants from the tragedy. I was honored to have been asked and accepted the task.

Jeff handed me a large box full of letters; notes between the couple during college, cards of encouragement for new jobs, the announcement about their engagement, articles about 9/11, the missing person flyers, and then an abundance of condolences cards, from friends, family, coworkers, communities and even strangers. These communiques played a huge role is Jeff's recovery; the power of a caring community.

When Jeff approached me, he didn't want a memorial of his fiancée and her death. He wanted a sculpture that would portray the importance of community, and the positive growth that can come through adversity, as well as a celebration of Amy's spirit. The essence of this dress is similiar to the story of the phoenix, who rises from the ashes renewed after apparent disaster or destruction. 

peace

For the interview, I went through some of my sketchbooks or what I call my daybooks.  These are the books that I carry with me everywhere, and in which I put most everything; my 'to-do' lists, grocery lists, errands, important names and numbers, inspiring pictures, postcards and what-nots, and these are the books in which I write my ideas and figure out how these ideas are going to work.  

Needless to say I have many, many

of these books and it was quite an adventure to find the ones ('dear jeff ...' took me about a year to complete so the process spans 2 daybooks) I was using.  But when I did it was interesting to see my sketches and notes and I thought I'd share some here. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW INTERVEIW

Here is a video of the sculpture on the loading dock at a 9/11 Memorial & Museum warehouse, on the day that I dropped off the sculpture to add to the museum's permanent collection.

in the museum's online catalog

'dear jeff ...' is part of WCVB5's 9/11: Chronicle Remembers

 

'dear jeff ...' on the loading dock of the September 11 Museum's warehouse

With tomorrow is the 20 year anniversary of 9/11, many media outlet are recalling the event and what has happened in these past 20 years.  I had the honor of being interviewed by Chronicle, WCVB’s iconic evening newsmagazine, as part of one of their remembrance pieces.

Chronicle, WCVB’s iconic evening newsmagazine, will air “9/11 – Chronicle Remembers” on Friday evening at 7:30PM. Chronicleanchor Anthony Everett reports on the passions and dreams of several Massachusetts residents who died on 9/11/2001 and the people who continue their legacies. He also sits down with former ABC anchor Charlie Gibson, who was one of the first journalists to report the news of the attacks 20 years ago.

The interview will air tonight, Friday September 10, at 7:30 (EST) 

 

'dear jeff ...' has a permanent home in NYC ....

 Upon doing some research on this blog I have realized that I have fallen hopelessly behind on sharing the ebbs and flows of my creative journey ... but in lieu of explanations and apologies, I just diving in.

'dear jeff ...' had found a permanent home at the
National September 11 Memorial & Museum 9/11 MEMORIAL.

It has not been on exhibit as of yet, as the museum has so many pieces to share and exhibit.  When I delivered it to one of the warehouses in NJ, I was aghast at the shelves and shelves of items that are connected with the events of 9/11.  

At this point in time, nothing is on exhibit as the museum is temporarily closed because of the COVID virus.  But when it does reopen, the museum's administration will inform me when the piece is on view in their galleries.  And when it is I plan to have some kind of celebration gathering in that wonderful city - NEW YORK, NEW YORK (SO GOOD THEY NAMED IT TWICE).

Until then you can see the piece online as well as the many other art pieces regarding 9/11.  Also below I have added some of the notes and comments from the page.

Historical Notes
Hartford, Connecticut, native Amy Toyen lived in Newton, Massachusetts. She and her fiancé, Jeffrey, planned to marry in June 2002. Amy liked writing, drawing, and going to the theater. A marketing employee at Thomson Financial in Boston, on September 11, Amy was presenting at a technology conference on the North Tower’s 106th floor. She was 24 years old.

Curator's Comment
Amy Toyen (age 24) was engaged to be married in June 2002 to her college sweetheart, Jeff Gonski (age 26). The couple was busy planning their wedding in 2001 when Toyen’s life was cut short by her untimely death on 9/11. She had just ordered her wedding dress.

Around the time of the 10th anniversary of the attack, Gonski embarked on an artistic endeavor in honor of Toyen in what he referred to informally at the time as “The Dress Project.” Using a photograph of Toyen's wedding dress for inspiration, Gonski commissioned Virginia Fitzgerald, a Natick, Massachusetts-based artist, to design a replica of Toyen’s dress made from the newspaper clips, cards from well-wishers after 9/11, Toyen’s own letters and cards to Gonski, and other ephemera, such as announcements of Gonski and Toyen’s engagement and would-be nuptials and Missing posters. “It’s not just about Amy and myself,” Gonski told reporters, “but the support that came out of the community after it.” 

Fitzgerald titled the finished sculpture Dear Jeff . . .  . Created on a smaller-than-life-size scale, the delicate wedding dress is composed of largely handwritten notes and ephemera designed to tell a story of a courtship violently interrupted. According to Fitzgerald, “It was this outpouring of love and sympathy that Jeff really wanted to highlight with the sculpture. When we met and spoke about the commission it was clear that this wasn’t to be a memorial to Amy, but a testimony to the power of community and how Jeff would not have made it through this horrible life event without the love and support from friends, family and the community. He spoke about how not only did he survive but he wanted to celebrate the idea that even after such a hard loss, life goes on. To represent Jeff’s thoughts and emotions about survival and recovery I created branches with leave[s] and seedpods coming off the bottom of the sculpture and growing back into the piece. I wanted to capture the feeling of the phoenix, rebirth from the ashes.”


 https://collection.911memorial.org/Detail/objects/118706

Imagine all the people living life in peace. John Lennon

this post is a direct copy of today's daily dress inspiration blog .

With today being September 11th,  I felt that today's message and 

quotes were worth repeating. (and for those wonderful folks that subscribe to 

both my blogs, I apologize for the 'rerun'.)

may this dress bring peace ~

'dear jeff' (2011-2012)

for all of those affected by

the events of September 11th,

which is all of us - 

some more obvious than others.

Today's dress is a commissioned 

sculpture for a man who lost his fiancée

12 years ago today. 

At the 10 year anniversary 

of this tragedy he felt that it 

was time to let go of 

his box of memories.  

He asked me if I could create 

something out of his treasure box.

I was honored and accepted the task.

This was a box full of letters;

notes between the couple during college,

cards of encouragement for new jobs, 

the announcement about their engagement,

articles about 9/11,

the missing person flyers, 

and then

a cornucopia of condolences cards, 

from friends, family, coworkers, 

communities and even strangers. 

These communiques played a huge role 

is Jeff's recovery; 

the power of a caring community.

When Jeff approached me, 

he didn't want a memorial of 

his fiancée and her death.

He wanted a sculpture that would portray 

the importance of community,

and the positive growth that 

can come through adversity, 

as well as a celebration of Amy's spirit.

To read more about the piece, click here,

(though I just realized that longer 

description of this piece is yet to be written)

So for today I give you 'dear jeff' 

and the words of John Lennon, 

from his anthem, 'imagine'.

 One of my utmost favorite songs, 

with lyrics that reach into the true 

 depth of my soul and makes me ache 

for the world he describes!!

 let us all strive for peace in our time.

As John Lennon said : 

“War is over ... If you want it.” 

"Imagine"

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

if you have received this post as an email 

click here to visit the entire blog, thank you & peace 

OPENING this WEDNESDAY