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CNN Sunday Morning

National Arts Club Presents 'American Spirit' Exhibit

Aired July 14, 2002 - 08:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now showing at the National Arts Club in New York, "True Colors: Meditations on the American Spirit." The exhibit is the work of 68 American artists and stems from the September 11 tragedy. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL BARNET, ARTIST: This is, you might say, represents the 20th century, a century of violence.

ALDON JAMES JR., THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB: This is a painting which everyone is drawn to in terms of its technicolor and the violence. This was the planes, the bombs, the terrorists coming in. And it's a searing experience.

GARY ERBE, ARTIST: We are survivors. We are a very strong nation, and if we focus our energy and attention, we could do a lot of good around the world. The painting, basically, what it represents is -- is -- it's a very positive painting. It's not supposed to be a negative painting. And it represents hope and courage, especially in diverse times.

JAMES JR.: It was a tragedy. It impacted us deeply, but we go forward with great strength. And then what is interesting, you have artwork here, for instance, that has -- this Will Barnet that was done prior to 9/11.

BARNET: And I tried to portray women as they stood on the shoreline, how they represented the heroic quality of the main coast and how they, as women, awaited on these shorelines for their men to come back and how they kept the society going, how they were heroic. This exhibit, to me, is an exhibit that represents American life. It isn't necessarily some of it directly 9/11. A good example is Jamie Wise's (ph) piece, which is very strong. It looks like Iwo Jima, and it has that five figures, five (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that were very vital in rescuing and dying and struggling to help people in that particular terrible explosion.

ERBE: The tragedy of September 11 was a rude awakening, and I think there really is an urgent need for America to rebuild its bridges with culture and countries throughout the world.

JAMES JR.: And I think art is a language. It's another language. And I think it gets beyond all differences. These are very effectively to carry messages around the world. And I think the show does take one visually through America, both in the interior world and through geographic space, the physical wonder of America.

This particular photograph, I think, is exciting in the sense that it conveys the beauty, the physical beauty of September 11. It was an extraordinary day here in New York. It began in an extraordinary fashion. And, ultimately, it will be a beauty in terms of our land that we have to return to in the healing process.

It was like watching a movie when you watched the news. There is a surreal aspect to it in terms -- it just seemed extraordinary that in our financial capital, you know, with such architectural wonders, that this could all be brought down within minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think has been done in a very dignified way and, if anything, I think people have more compassion for America when they see the show.

BARNET: I'm older, I'm in my 90s. I'm even a product of the First World War and I remember the First World War. Then I remember the Second World War and I remember all of these other wars. So this particular catastrophe represents a series of events that took place in my lifetime and, therefore, each event had an effect, but, therefore, if you take it as a total thing, this is, you might say, represents the 20th century.

JAMES JR.: It's very hard to find your favorite. I think you experience this exhibit in its totality.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That's a moving exhibit. Let's talk a little bit more about it with some of the people behind it, one of the artists involved. In Washington is Kenton Keith, senior vice president at Meridian International Center, and in New York artist Donna Levinstone joins us. Thank you both for being with us.

DONNA LEVINSTONE, ARTIST: Thank you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Keith, let's begin with you. I'm curious, just if you could give us the origins of this exhibit. When did you begin discussing it? When did it even seem appropriate to begin discussing an exhibit on this subject?

KENTON KEITH, MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER: Well, just days after the events of September 11, we began to be in touch with some of the artists we had worked with on a major exhibit of contemporary art that went abroad, went to East Asia. And the idea was very clear in their minds that something needed to be done in order to show the feelings that they felt for this country after the 11th of September. Some sponsors came forward very quickly, and we were able to bring this together in three months, a show that ordinarily would have taken up to a year to put together.

O'BRIEN: You know, I suppose, though, and maybe you didn't run into this, but I'm guessing you ran into a lot of people who would say, you know, it's just too soon to be talking about this, or was it just the contrary?

KEITH: It was just the contrary. As soon as the idea started getting around, we got more and more requests from artists, expressions of interest and requests to be included. And as I said before, we had great sponsorship and enthusiasm on the part of our corporate friends.

O'BRIEN: Ms. Levinstone, let's take a look at your image, "Ascending Spirit," it is entitled. It is black and white and it's pastel. First of all, I want to ask you how soon were you able to begin working after all this happened? After we were all sharing such collective shock, when did you actually start sketching?

LEVINSTONE: Well, quite honestly, I was very, very upset by everything, and it was very hard for me. I had an artist block. So it wasn't until I was asked to submit a piece that I was really able to get back into my studio. And really what happened was I was just going to do a portrait, a simple black and white portrait as a memorial to the Twin Towers, and it really was transformed into a much more emotional piece.

O'BRIEN: It is emotional. And what strikes me is -- and this is, obviously, what art accomplishes -- but this is a unique event, obviously. And there are so many images that are already seared into our minds of the news footage of the day. Does that make your job easier or harder as an artist?

LEVINSTONE: You know, as I said before, it really -- it made my job a little easier, but it was a personal -- it was really a personal first for me to have an image really appear...

O'BRIEN: All right, I'm sorry, Ms. Levinstone, we've lost your microphone. We're going to go to Mr. Keith while we try to rectify that problem. We apologize for that.

Mr. Keith, what has been the reaction so far as people go through? Do you see a lot of people -- I was just watching that piece, not even being there. It was a very emotional thing and it brought back a lot of memories of that day and the moments afterward, the days following. Are people very emotional as they go through this exhibit?

KEITH: Yes, people are very emotional. But it's not a downer. This is really...

O'BRIEN: It's not a downer?

KEITH: No. It's just exactly what it is advertised as being.

O'BRIEN: How were you able to accomplish that, though? It's such a difficult subject.

KEITH: It's a difficult subject, but people can see beyond the scenes of 9/11 to something that is really at the core of the American spirit. And there are, in fact, are not many specific references, artistic references in this exhibit to 9/11. There are some. Donna's beautiful drawing, for example, and several others. But most of the paintings go to that which is at the core of American art and what American artists feel about the creative spirit that exists in this country. It is not a downer. People come out feeling renewed.

O'BRIEN: Now, we are looking right here on the air at a work of art by Herb Alpert, the musician as well as an artist. Ms. Levinstone, when you look at this work, what do you see?

LEVINSTONE: I see almost a scary premonition of something that was created as probably an abstracted image and it became a realty of a tower that was about to crumble down.

O'BRIEN: There is one here by Roy Lichtenstein. It's called "The Oval Office." And if we can put that image up, I'd like to -- it's an empty Oval Office. Of course, that day, the president wasn't there. What do you think the artist is trying to accomplish with that one?

LEVINSTONE: I think the serenity, the office as a place where a lot of important issues transpires. Probably what he was -- it was really possibly a portrayal of possibly a simple American icon. The Oval Office.

O'BRIEN: It's interesting, the flag on the right of the screen there has diagonal red stripes, Mr. Keith, indicating, yes, there is order, but something's wrong here, right?

KEITH: I think that's right. Lichtenstein is a very creative and a very complex artist. Even though his images seem to be sort of simple.

O'BRIEN: Yeah. Let's move on to the next image and talk about that one. This one is from Timothy Clark. It's called "9th Avenue Studio View." Did you ever talk to the artist about this one, Mr. Keith, and what he was thinking?

KEITH: No, I haven't been able to speak to any of the artists, but this was an exhibit that was put together so quickly. Most of the artists came from the early contacts we had with artists from in and around Manhattan, and then the exhibit sort of the net spread a little bit wider, and the artists represented in this exhibit come from all over the country.

O'BRIEN: All right. And let's look at this one here by Warren Dennis (ph). And you would look at that and your first impression might be, what does this have to do with 9/11?

KEITH: Again, this -- we are talking not just about 9/11. We are talking about the American spirit. We are talking about the kind of creativity and exuberance that makes art in this country so vital.

O'BRIEN: All right. The exhibit is headed to what cities now?

KEITH: It's already scheduled for Atlanta. We expect it to go to the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul in the fall. After that, perhaps Cairo and Berlin and others are under negotiation now. O'BRIEN: And Ms. Levinstone, are you going to continue your work on this subject, or have you moved on?

LEVINSTONE: I've actually continued. I'm doing a body of work. I entitled it "In God's Light." So I'm still working it out.

O'BRIEN: All right. We all work it out in different ways, and this is how artists do it and help us work it out. We appreciate you both being with us on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Thank you very much.

KEITH: Thanks for asking us.

LEVINSTONE: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Look forward to seeing the exhibit in person.

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