Assemblage, Framed

Twin Towers - Tom Gardner 9/11

Description

Framed haiku with artwork assemblage in memory of Thomas A. Gardner, created by his sister-in-law, Catherine. The assemblage on the left side includes the Twin Towers cut from screen material with smoke coming from the top and a photograph of Gardner overlaid on it. On the right side is the printed poem, and below is an assemblage of more screen material cut to form a cross and rubble. The haiku reads:

Twin Towers - Tom Gardner 9/11
Up, the stairs he climbed. . .
as the world came crashing down
Now, lies sacred ground.

Thomas A. Gardner, FDNY Hazmat, Special Unit 1
Haiku with love, by Cat Bartik-Sweeney

Historical Notes

Born in Astoria, Queens, Thomas Gardner lived in Oceanside, Long Island, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children. After joining the FDNY in 1982, he earned a college degree in biology and education and spoke of teaching high school science after retiring from firefighting. A member of Hazmat Company 1, Firefighter Gardner entered the South Tower with his unit on September 11. He was 39 years old.