The state and the Governor’s Arizona 9-11 Memorial Commission are calling for artist teams to design, create and place a permanent 9-11 memorial at Wesley Bolin Plaza.

Artist teams across the country are being invited to create the privately funded, $450,000 monument to provide a special space for Arizonans to remember the horrific and heroic events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the way Arizonans shared in that experience.

“A memorial at the Arizona State Capitol will be symbol for generations to come of the events of that day and will serve as an education tool for us, our children and our children’s children,” said Governor Napolitano. “Finding the right artist team to create this symbol is a critical milestone for this project.”

Artists have until 5 p.m. Sept. 12 to provide submittals. At least one member of each artist team must reside in Arizona, and all team members must reside in the United States.

“We are curious to see how artists conceptualize such a massive event,” said Firefighters President Billy Shields who spearheads the Commission. “It always will be remembered as a day when there was no differentiation between Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Republicans, Democrats and Independents. It was a day when we were all Americans and Arizonans, sharing in a tragic experience that changed our world forever.”

Donna Isaac has been selected as public art coordinator for the project. She has a background in arts, cultural planning, and public participation. Her experience includes working with architects and engineers on public capital improvement projects, public art, and cultural master planning

Interested parties should e-mail contact information, including: name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to az911rfg@ArizonaArts.org.

Fundraising, design and planning for the memorial are being coordinated by the Governor’s 9-11 Memorial Commission, a 27-member panel formed in 2004 by Ms. Napolitano to establish the landmark. For more information, log onto the Memorial’s Web site at az911memorial.com. —