Carolyn Aberman
INDELIBLE
A Tribute to the 25th Anniversary of 9.11
Throughout my corporate marketing career, New York City became my favorite second home. I fell in love with the multi-faceted, diverse, high-energy city.
On September 11, 2001, at 9:00 a.m., I was in lower Manhattan in a cab headed to an agency meeting. My cell phone wouldn’t connect, repeatedly rolling over to a busy signal. I assumed I was doing something wrong. I didn’t know the North Tower had already been hit and the city’s cell towers were wiped out.
Looking out the window, I noticed crowds lining the SoHo sidewalks, all staringsouth. The driver muttered, "The subways must be down." At that exact moment—9:02 a.m. - an enormous mushroom cloud of fire exploded from the South Tower. Instantly my body went into fight or flight mode. I jumped out of the moving cab and made the rest of the way to the agency on foot.
From their conference room windows, we had a front-row view of the burning towers. It looked like an engineering impossibility that they were still standing. Within 90 minutes, both structures collapsed spewing plumes of smoke and ash that filled the sky. I knew it was time to get back to midtown and find my colleagues.
I wove through the tangled streets of Tribeca and SoHo to Fifth Avenue, joining an exodus of thousands walking north. Many were blanketed in gray ash. No one spoke; the collective grief was palpable. Cross streets were barricaded by double-length buses, with added security guarding the Empire State Building and 46th Street which led to the United Nations.
Once reunited, my colleagues and I booked the last two rental cars available in Manhattan. Then, we walked to First Avenue to donate blood.
The line stretched for countless blocks. As we waited, the roar of a plane overhead startled us. Given all airspace had been closed by the FAA, everyone looked up in terror until someone yelled, "It’s one of ours.
" I never imagined I would hear those words on American soil. It was a U.S. military fighter jet.After an hour, the line began to disband. Word passed down the sidewalk: Go home. The hospitals don't need blood. Unspoken but understood, we knew it meant there were no survivors to save.
Too shaken to leave that night, we shared a silent dinner and went to our
respective rooms to try to sleep. At 6:00 a.m. on September 12th, we began the two-day drive back to Minneapolis. As we got into the car, my boss said firmly, "I’m in no mood for idle chatter." None of us were. For two days, we glued our ears to NPR, trying to process what we had just lived through.
I carry unforgettable memories from those 21 hours on the ground. This exhibit is my small way to honor the lives lost and those irrevocably changed, and to celebrate New York City for its unyielding grit, fortitude, and vibrancy that makes it like no other place on earth.
SWITCHBACK
Sharp Turns & New Directions
A switchback is a sharp, zigzag turn that allows a mountain trail to climb steep terrain. It also mirrors Carolyn's own journey over the last 18 months, leaving her corporate career earlier than planned to pursue her art full time.
The paintings in Switchback are inspired by her deep connection to the mountains and the profound sense of aliveness they awaken. They reflect the unexpected turns, challenges, and discoveries that have shaped this new chapter, reminding us that life's path is rarely linear - but often leads us to exactly where we're meant to be, whether or not it is what we had planned.
Thank you for coming to see my exhibit,
Carolyn
