Gates of hope

A Greensboro sculptor wrests beauty from the wreckage of a national tragedy.

A the North Carolina studio of metal sculptor Jim Gallucci, a group of steel beams stands out amid the piles of commercial iron filling the space. An inexplicable aura surrounds the material-structural remains from the World Trade Center. The pieces carry the weight of dreams and voices silenced by an unspeakable act of terrorism on September 11, 2001. Resting his hand on the hulking mass of steel, Jim explains why he wanted to transform the beams into art. "When the whole thing happened, everyone was just traumatized. At first I wanted to help cut steel, but they had enough people there," says Jim, a sculptor of more than 25 years. "I really wanted to give something. It helps if we just go back to what we know."

He decided to use his energy and talents for metal-working to create a two-sculpture art project, The Gates, that pays homage to the victims.

From Wreckage to Redemption

Two weeks after the attacks, Jim contacted Ray Williams, an old friend who had connections to the person who was processing the World Trade Center steel for Metal Management Northeast, Inc., in Newark, New Jersey. Jim sent Metal Management his resume, letters of reference, and a proposal of what he was planning to do with the steel. The company approved the project, under several conditions-the major one being that after Jim finished, he would offer the sculpture to New York. Jim and his team traveled to New Jersey, selected 16 tons of steel, and brought it back to his studio in Greensboro.

"I use the format of gates and doors in my sculptures to give the public access to my art," says Jim.

Art Taking Shape

Out of respect for the tragedy, Jim did not want to modify the wreckage. He decided on a gate form that would allow the sculptures to stand erect, one 23 feet high, the other 52 feet. "The fact that the steel is standing back up again, rather than lying in a pile on the ground, gives it a sense of hope," he says.

Beyond that, the artist wanted his work to speak to all the September 11 events. Besides creating two gates, one for each of the Twin Towers, Jim incorporated elements that symbolize the plane crash in Pennsylvania and the attack on the Pentagon. "We wanted something that depicted the whole day," he says.

Standing Tall

The project needs funds before the artist can finish it. Of the more than $ 1 million needed to complete the gates, the 9/11 Sculpture Project, Ltd. (the nonprofit organization Jim created for the effort) has collected about $60,000.

Jim and his team remain driven to sculpt hope from tragedy. "The steel is guiding us," Jim concludes. "Once you've seen the steel or touched it, you are touched forever. I don't know if I am making great art; only time will determine that. But I know the right thing is happening."

TAI HICKS AND SARA ASKEW JONES

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Sep 2003
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