UPDATE: The Westport Library has canceled this exhibit.
On 9/11, artist Karen E. Gersch watched the Twin Towers collapse from a rooftop on Bond St., where she had a loft and then spent most of the day on the corner of Broadway and Houston St., distributing water and paper towels to the people who staggered by, most of them in shock and covered head to toe in ash. The firehouse around the corner from her loft , which had always opened its doors to the neighborhood, lost ten of its 14 firefighters that day, and, in all, she knew personally or professionally more than two dozen people who perished.
The following day she retreated to Connecticut, where she had lived for 18 years in Westport and Weston and slowly, gradually began to process the events. In time, she began working on a series of collages and pieces about 9/11, and a selection from that body of work is on exhibit at The Westport Library from August 1 until November 30 in the Riverwalk Display Case on the Library's first floor. An opening reception for "Still Smoldering: Reflections of 9/11 by Karen E. Gersch" will take place on Thursday, August 14, from 6-7 pm in the Library's McManus Room across from the exhibit, and is free and open to the public.