City Hall will mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11 with an art exhibition organized by former police officer Paul McCormack — who lost most of his sight because of the terror attacks — and his wife Nicola McClean, who is a photographer.

Their nonprofit group, Ground Zero 360, is showcasing artwork from around the world, urging New Yorkers to never forget what happened on that day that tore apart the city — and the world. 

What You Need To Know

  • City Hall will mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11 with an art exhibition organized by former police officer Paul McCormack — who lost most of his sight because of the terror attacks — and his wife Nicola McClean, who is a photographer

  • Their nonprofit group Ground Zero 360 is showcasing artwork from around the world, urging New Yorkers to never forget what happened on that day that tore apart the city — and the world. More than 60 artists from around the world created pieces on what 9/11 meant to them for the 10-year anniversary in 2011

  • Starting Monday, more than 30 works from a collection of more than 120 pieces including photographs, drawings, paintings and mixed media will be on display for the next two months

  • Moira Smith, 38, was the first NYPD officer to report a plane crash into the North Tower. She is also the only female officer who died that day. Her portrait is featured inside the rotunda 

Twenty-four years ago, McCormack was an NYPD officer responding to the terror attacks in Lower Manhattan after two planes were hijacked, flown into the Twin Towers, taking the lives of nearly 3,000 people.

“There were missing posters that went up everywhere in the city, the subways, the hospitals, the train stations, everywhere,” he recalled. “The largest mobilization of the NYPD, it was called, we went into our precincts, and it was chaos. It took us a while to come to grips.”

McCormack lost most of his sight, he says, because of chemicals at the cleanup site.

But his memories stay with him, clear as that fateful day.

“There’s a lot of people, first responders there, that are dying of cancers, respiratory diseases. Every week or two you hear of some firefighter that passed, it’s horrible,” McCormack told NY1.

That’s why McCormack and McClean — then a photographer for The Irish Voice newspaper also on the scene in 2001 — created Ground Zero 360, which is dedicated to remembering the victims, their families and the survivors through art. 

“We’re trying to bring attention to what happened because, as they say, if you forget your past, you’re doomed to repeat it in the future. So, we’re trying to keep the memory alive and never forget the sacrifice of so many on that terrible day,” McCormack said.

More than 60 artists from around the world created pieces on what 9/11 meant to them for the 10-year anniversary in 2011.

While they’ve been shown across the world, they’re coming to New York City for the first time.

“It’s amazing what they were feeling, the emotion behind these paintings,” he told NY1 during a Monday tour ahead of the exhibit’s opening.

Starting Monday, more than 30 works from a collection of more than 120 pieces including photographs, drawings, paintings, and mixed media will be on display for the next two months.

“I remember when the first tower fell, on my police radio, a female’s voice came over the air calling for help, a female police officer,” McCormack said.

“There’s something different when a female calls for help, and there’s something really sickening in your gut when there’s absolutely nothing you can do to help them. We later found out that the police officer’s voice was Moira Smith.”

Smith, 38, was the first NYPD officer to report a plane crash into the North Tower. She is also the only female officer who died that day.

Her portrait is featured inside the rotunda.  

“Everyone talks about her smile, you just can’t help but smile, thinking about her, and the world’s not as fun a place anymore since she’s been gone,” said Jimmy Smith, her husband and also a retired member of the NYPD. 

“I love this painting that Jim Fitzpatrick did, that’s her photo from her ID when she came on the job. Her rookie photo. You’re not supposed to smile, but she couldn’t help it,” he told NY1.

“I see all these pictures, it brings back the good memories, and then you know, some of the stuff is pretty dark too. So it’s a testament to what those heroes did on that day,” he said of the exhibit.

QR codes provide onlookers with explanations from the artists themselves. Pieces like “Twenty-three,” by artist Guggi, honors the 23 NYPD officers killed that day.

Hughie O’Donoghue painted the numbers 3-4-3 on a book to remember the number of firefighters killed. 

One photo by Nicola McClean depicts two empty shoes outside the Wall Street subway station.

“I think it’s an event that everybody that was around knows what you were doing, where you were at the time, there’s so many different genres of artists, it’s just an eclectic mix of different art,” McCormack said.

Originally from Ireland, McCormack would love to return to City Hall next year for the 25th anniversary. 

The entire collection can be found at GroundZero360.org.