Faces of Ground Zero

Faces of Ground Zero: A Photographic Tribute to America's Heroes was a traveling photo exhibition about the September 11 attacks. It was shown at several major cities in the United States, aiming to educate the public about the impact of modern urban terrorism. Faces of Ground Zero was one of the most widely seen exhibits about 9/11 and its aftermath.

The exhibit consisted of life-size photographs (9 ft × 4 ft framed images) of emergency workers, survivors, and relatives of victims of the attacks; some 272 people in all. (Some of the portraits included two or three subjects.) The aim was to capture the sense of loss, pain, and bravery of the time.

The touring exhibit was open to the public, free of charge. Made by photographer Joe McNally, in the Moby C Studio, a few blocks from the "Ground Zero" World Trade Center site in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, with "Moby C", the world's largest one-of-a-kind instant camera.[1]

A hardcover companion photobook, Faces of Ground Zero: Portraits of the Heroes of September 11, 2001 (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2002) was published to commemorate the project with a foreword by Rudy Giuliani and an original essay by McNally. A large percentage of the proceeds went to 9/11 charities.

  1. ^ American Photo (Special Issue: September 11) January–February 2002 p. 56-57 & 90-91.