Missing:

Last Seen at the World Trade Center

on September 11, 2001

Missing: Last Seen at the World Trade Center is an exhibition of the missing person fliers distributed throughout New York City by the friends and family of those who did not come home in the days after September 11, 2001.

Nothing brings the tragedy home like the missing fliers. Seeing the faces on these fliers ensures that the events of that horrific day are remembered for the victims and their families, not for airplanes, buildings and unending statistics. These fliers were a spontaneous outpouring of love and desperate hope. Now, they are a part of American history.

The fliers were created as a response to two rumors, or hopes, that swept through the city after the World Trade Center collapsed. The first was that "thousands" of victims lay unconscious and unidentified in hospital beds--friends and family members crowded emergency rooms in hopes that their loved ones were inside. Unfortunately, for most this was not the case; very few were pulled out alive. The second thought was that hundreds of people were walking the streets dazed or suffering temporary amnesia. Again, these rumors were unfounded.

In our age of technology and instant communication, these families were employing the most basic means of communication, approaching strangers with a picture to ask if anyone had seen their loved ones. Showing the fliers was a way in which they could be active in their search, rather than waiting helplessly by the phone. Every day became a ritual of walking from one New York hospital to the next, hanging fliers along the way.

Love inspires hope.

The mission is to share these fliers with Americans and others throughout the world--to share the faces of our friends, neighbors and loved ones who were lost on that day. The hope is that by seeing a face and saying a name we remember that these individuals are the reason that this is a tragedy--the buildings were real estate, the people were real. We can honor their memory by acknowledging their lives and the affect that they had on others.

The exhibit is not a lament for lives lost, as much as a tribute to lives lived. The people in the fliers touched the lives of others. They inspired people who refused to give up hope. They should inspire us to see the affect we have on those whose lives we touch everyday.

Most everyone who views this exhibit will be moved. The fliers are a powerful statement of love.

Visitors to the exhibit are invited to sign the Condolence Book before they leave. The book is a chance for people to express their feelings and their prayers for those missing. It is a chance for people to sign that they bore witness to this event. At the end of the tour, the condolence books will also be included in the materials sent to the Smithsonian Institute & Museum of New York which together are archiving the collective historical document in the Nine Eleven History Project.

Requests for Missing have come from so many cities that a concurrent exhibit has been created. The first opened in Santa Barbara on January 2, 2002 and is traveling to venues west of the Missisippi. The second opened in Hollywood, FL on January 18, 2002 and is traveling to venues east of the Missisippi. Both tributes are the same exhibit; there are so many fliers that it is possible to duplicate exhibitions. While the presentations may vary, the fliers are identical.

The exhibit started in Southern California, as a way to complete the journey that the planes began on September 11. It has been scheduled for Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC, with more venues being considered.

The exhibit will travel for about 2 years. At the end, the fliers and photos will be given to the Smithsonian Institute & Museum of New York joint preservation effort.

Since "Missing" began a national tour in January, more than sixty fliers have been donated by visitors to the exhibit who noticed that their loved ones' fliers were not on display. It is our policy to accept fliers from the family and friends and co-workers who created the flier. All fliers donated by family members will be included in the exhibition as it travels. We prefer that family or friends bring fliers to the place where the exhibition is on view; however, If this is not possible, kindly send the flier, along with a note authorizing that it be displayed, to Ana Sofia, Mesoamerica, P.O. Box 140681, Coral Gables, FL 33114.

Fliers cannot be returned and will be donated to a museum at the conclusion of the tour where they will be archived. Thank you.

Please come to see the fliers and pay your respects in the Condolence Book. Bring friends and loved ones to share in the experience and to talk about it later.

Donations to the Mesoamerica Foundation will help to keep this exhibition on tour. Donations can be made at the exhibit or send checks to Mesoamerica Foundation, PO Box 14068, Coral Gables, FL 33114-0681.

Scheduled Venues:

(admission is generally free, however since Missing is hosted by independent venues, policies may vary, please call first)

No exhibitions currently scheduled.

Please check back for information.

Online Press Clippings:

Contact Info:

exhibit description

donating a flier

how to help

commemorative poster & prints

scheduled venues

press links

contact info