Managing Emotions: Spontaneous Shrines and the Collections of 9/11

The role of preserving the public reactions to tragedy now belongs to arts administrators. After the events of September 11, people responded by creating spontaneous memorials in the streets, concentrated in Union Square.  The memorials were a public expression of grief for people who were missing or dead.  Shortly after the attacks, New York City government started removing the shrines, citing that they were a hazard and that Union Square should be returned to its function as a park.  Museum professionals realized the value of the shrines and efforts were made by institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Museum of the City of New York and the New-York Historical Society to salvage the memorials.  This paper looks at the efforts to collect, document, preserve and exhibit the shrines by museum professionals and the unique challenges they faced.  It also looks at the growing importance of spontaneous memorials, and the role they are taking on in museums, shifting from once being discarded to now being preserved and displayed.