As the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 looms, Americans reflect on where they were and what they were doing the day of the attacks. On Aug. 30 the Metropolitan Museum of Art will begin their own reflection with a new exhibit in the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education titled “9/11 Peace Quilt Story.”

The exhibit will run until Jan. 22, 2012. On the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, there will be several attractions to commemorate the day. The “9/11 Peace Story Quilt” features the quilt, four posters and nine works of art all representing different young peoples’ vision of peace.

Exhibit curator Rebecca McGinnis said that on Sept. 11, Faith Ringgold, the quilt’s designer, will give a lecture talking about the quilt and the project as a whole. Ringgold is well known for her story quilts, which combine painting, quilted fabric and storytelling. Her work has been featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

During the day there will also be various gallery talks relating to conflict and peace resolutions throughout the museum.

“We wanted to make sure to reach people of all ages and let as many people as possible learn about the quilt,” McGinnis said.

Several NYU graduate students will read poetry from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. as part of a creative writing class held at the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education. The class will read from a poet’s quilt made up of 36 squares with very short poems and words they took from documents relating to Sept. 11.

According to the Met’s website, the quilt is comprised of three 75-by-50 inch panels, each with 12 squares on the theme of peace. Each individual square was created by a different New York City student ages nine to 18 in the years after Sept. 11.

McGinnis said that Ringgold was inspired to make the quilt after composing a book of the children’s drawings called, “What Will You Do for Peace: Impact of 9/11 on New York City Youth.” The quilt was created shortly after the fifth anniversary.

The Met’s website describes the purpose of the work as “poignantly conveying the importance of communication across cultures and religions to achieve the goal of peace.”

Accompanying the quilt are four posters made by different New York City students after Sept. 11. The nine works of art being featured were made this summer by Met high school interns as an independent assignment. They were asked to create a work of art inspired by the collection incorporating peace into the design.

“We at the Met thought it was a very apt exhibition to have in commemoration of 9/11,” McGinnis said. “It is also a vehicle for visitors to think about art and their connection to 9/11 and that day.”

According to the 9/11 Peace Story Quilt, “the quilt was commissioned by InterRelations Collaborative Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering cross-cultural understanding through art among the increasingly diverse student populations in New York City and the tri-state area.”

Once the squares, featuring both pictures and words, were finished, the quilt was organized and constructed by Ringgold and co-worker Grace Matthews.

On Oct. 14 the Met will host a behind-the-scenes tour of the quilt for a better look and explanation of how it was made and also offer visitors a chance to try sewing and learn how to make their own quilts.

IF YOU GO

9/11 Peace Story Quilt
When: Aug. 30 through Jan. 22, 2012
Where: Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave, New York, NY
Price: Suggested donation
More Info: http://www.metmuseum.org