Drawing

All Our Knights

Description

Oil pastel on canvas drawing titled All Our Knights by L. McNan-McCarthy. The drawing colorfully depicts recovery workers at Ground Zero amid the rubble with steel beams and overturned vehicles. Handwritten along the edges of the drawing are the names of various responding agencies and affiliated states from which responders dispatched to the site. References include "FDNY," "NYPD," "EMS," "DEA," "ASPCA," "Hatzolah," and others. More specific names are written as well, such as "Frank's Nykie" [sic]—referring to Frank Shane and his therapy dog Nikie and well-known individuals like President Bush. Tully, Bovis, FEMA, LMDC, and the names of local unions are also listed. At the bottom in handwritten script is the title of the piece, "All Our Knights."

Historical Notes

All Our Knights (2002) by L. McNan-McCarthy is a tribute to the diverse community of responders and volunteers that converged at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The oil pastel work on canvas combines lists of local businesses, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, places of worship, politicians, unions, and general thematic groupings with iconic imagery and visual elements specific to Ground Zero.