“Ground Zero 360: Never Forget" Opens at Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance

June 17, 2015 - PRLog -- DALLAS – June 17, 2015 – On July 2, the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance opens its new exhibit, “Ground Zero 360: Never Forget,” honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the heroic first responders who put their own lives at risk to save others.

“The Dallas Holocaust Museum supports Upstanders – people who stand up in defense of others – and we are proud to have the opportunity to honor the first responders of the 9/11 attacks as well as first responders from our own area,” said Mary Pat Higgins, the Museum’s President and CEO. “This installation pays tribute to the men and women who displayed an incredible amount of courage and acted selflessly during one of the most terrifying and chaotic times in our nation’s history.”

“Ground Zero 360: Never Forget” displays the work of Nicola McLean, a New York-based Irish photographer who captured powerful images in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Her husband, Paul McCormack, was the presiding New York Police Department Commanding Officer of the 41^st Precinct at the time. Together they created the exhibit in remembrance of the victims of the attacks and in honor of the heroic actions of the first responders who worked tirelessly in the hours, days and weeks that followed.

On the exhibit’s opening day on July 2, the Museum will honor first responders from the North Texas community by hosting a First Responders Open House from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., providing free admittance with funding from Communities of Foundation of Texas donors. Breakfast and lunch will also be provided. The launch day activities continue that evening with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a lecture from McCormack.

McLean and McCormack, who met shortly before 9/11 and later married, worked together over the course of 10 years to create the exhibit. Comprised of moving visual and audio elements, the exhibit allows patrons to gain perspective and reflect on what New Yorkers experienced during this tragic time.

“It is our responsibility to never forget,” McLean said. “Lives changed completely and forever on Sept. 11.”

The exhibit has been displayed domestically and internationally, in cities such as Chicago, Houston, Dublin, Belfast and Tel Aviv.

The Museum will present a soft opening of the new exhibit beginning June 26. The exhibit launch and accompanying events for first responders will take place throughout the day on July 2. The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance is supported in part by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

The launch events are made possible by support from a number of community partners, including the Guns & Hoses Foundation of North Texas, Dallas Hispanic Firefighters Association, Dallas Black Firefighters Association, West End Association, Center for American & International Law and Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

About the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance is committed to teaching the moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred and indifference for the benefit of all humanity. The Museum’s education programs have had a profound effect on people of all ages. In 2014, 65,031 visitors toured the Museum and many wrote, emailed or posted notes that their lives had been transformed by the experience. Through its exhibits and programs, they learn about the humiliating discrimination, deep-rooted hatred and the near annihilation of the Jewish people and the systematic enslavement of others. The Museum is located at 211 N. Record Street, Dallas, Texas 75202. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please visit dallasholocaustmuseum.org (http://www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org/) or call (214) 741-7500.

About Ground Zero 360: Never Forget

On September 11, 2001, New York City was shaken to its core when two jet airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. In the wake of the chaos, New York-based Irish photographer Nicola McClean responded in the only way she knew how; she picked up her camera and took to the streets to try and capture the confusion and panic that surrounded her. Through harrowing visuals, chilling audio clips and a unique panoramic installation, Ground Zero 360° invites you to step into the past and feel what eight million New Yorkers were feeling in the days that followed the attacks. The spectator will be able to discover, through Nicola’s eyes, the startling aftermath of one of the most tragic events in American history – seeing what she saw, hearing the stories she heard and meeting the people she met, particularly the heroic men and women of the New York City Emergency Services. The city of New York continues to evolve and change, but the memory of those extraordinary days and weeks will always remain with us. Ground Zero 360° allows the onlooker to experience the enduring events of September 11th and celebrate the tremendous courage and dignity of a nation under fire. For more information, please visit groundzero360.org.