Tiles For America In NYC - Remembering 9/11/2001 Editorial Image

Tiles for America began on September 12, 2001. In the aftermath of the tragedy, crowds gathered in large numbers in front of Saint Vincent's Hospital, located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 11th Street. This was the hospital that was prepared to receive the thousands of survivors that many people were hopeful they would be. Lorrie Veasey, owner of OUR NAME IS MUD, also located on 11th Street, began to create what she hoped would be an inspiration to recovering victims. From raw clay she fashioned approximately 5000 small angels and American flags, which she and friends attached to a fence that faced the hospital on September 14. The angels and flags were attached with ribbon, and before two weeks had passed, most of them had been removed from the fence. pre-9/11, ceramics started to be hung on this fence sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. After 9/11 these ceramics multiplied. The older, original ceramics can be found on Greenwich Ave. where the fence meets the store in the right of this frame.