Wadsworth Atheneum to Participate in 9/11 Remembrance Tribute in Light

The Wadsworth Atheneum on Main Street in downtown Hartford , the nation’s oldest continuously operating public art museum, is the lone Connecticut location participating in the 25th anniversary of 9/11 Tribute in Lights, described in New York City as a “unique but simple gesture of collective remembrance” that illuminates the night sky.

Centered in Lower Manhattan, the remembrance each year on the evening of September 11, from dusk until dawn, is an annual tribute to those lost on the tragic day in 2001 that took down the Twin Towers and the lives of office workers, first responders, and, subsequently, others on site that day.

Allison Blais became President & CEO of the Wadsworth in January 2026 after two decades working on the World Trade Center rebuilding and operation in New York City.

She played a formative role in creating, developing, and operating the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, where she served in several roles, most recently as executive vice president and chief strategy & operations officer with a dual focus on the institution’s ongoing sustainability and relevance coupled with its daily operations.

Assembled on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage south of the 9/11 Memorial, the twin beams reach up to four miles into the sky and are comprised of 88 7,000-watt xenon lightbulbs positioned into two 48-foot squares, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The installation can also be viewed from a 60-mile radius around lower Manhattan, according to organizers.

Similarly lighting the skies and building exteriors, participating structures on the upcoming 25th anniversary on September 11, include nearly 30 locations in New York City, one in Westchester County, and 14 in states across the nation, including New Jersey, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Oklahoma, California, and Delaware.

In addition, there are two international locations participating, one each in Canada and Ireland.  All plan to light their facades in blue from dusk to dawn on September 11.

According to the 9/11 Memorial website, Tribute in Light is presented by ConEdison, the electric company serving Manhattan, New York City, and surrounding areas.  The site explains that Tribute in Light was conceived by several artists and designers who were then brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time: John Bennett, Gustavo Boneverdi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian LaVerdiere, and Paul Myoda, with lighting consultant Paul Marantz.  Tribute in Light is produced by Michael Ahern Production Services.