Artist and former FDNY Captain Brenda Berkman was off-duty on September 11th, but responded and arrived at the scene of the attacks just as the North Tower collapsed. She spent that day and following weeks searching for survivors, then for remains of fellow fire service members and civilians who perished. She spent five more years with the FDNY then retired in 2006 and began a new learning journey at the Art Students League.
She harnessed art as a path out of personal trauma from 9/11 and the grim months she spent at Ground Zero. She used her printmaking skills to document the evolution of the lower Manhattan skyline through the construction of One World Trade Center.
Image from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum