A project rooted in Ashland digitally restores Sky Gate, New York, destroyed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

A piece of New York cultural history — destroyed in the 9/11 attacks — will come back into the world this week through an ambitious digital reconstruction led by an Ashland-based team.

The Art Authority Museum, the immersive virtual museum created by longtime Ashland technologists Alan and Priscilla Oppenheimer, will host a Friday, Dec. 12, rededication of Louise Nevelson’s monumental 1978 sculpture Sky Gate, New York. The original work, installed above the World Trade Center’s lobby, was lost when the twin towers fell in 2001.

The rededication, taking place at 9 a.m. PST via Zoom, marks the opening of a new exhibition, “Louise Nevelson: Lost and Found, Again.” The show centers on the meticulously rebuilt Sky Gate, New York. The digital work was created in collaboration with Nevelson’s granddaughter, Maria Nevelson. Participation in the Zoom event is free but requires advance reservation at artauthority.museum/nevelson.

Reconstructing what was lost

The online ceremony falls 47 years to the day after the sculpture’s original installation in 1978. Speakers will include people who attended that first dedication, former Port Authority staff and representatives of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

“I very much regret never getting to see my grandmother’s original work in the World Trade Center,” Maria Nevelson said in the event announcement. “Seeing it for the first time in the Art Authority Museum was quite the experience for me. I am so happy we’re able to bring this work back into the world.”

Oppenheimer, founding director of the virtual museum, said the collaboration carries significance beyond technology or artistic reproduction.

“It is an honor that transcends our museum to be able to work with Maria and others to bring back this small but significant part of what we thought was lost forever,” he said. “And we’re not stopping there.”

As part of a larger initiative with the Louise Nevelson Foundation, the exhibition also introduces digital versions of two additional Nevelson works — Sky Cathedral from the Museum of Modern Art and Black Chord from the Whitney Museum of American Art. More reconstructions are planned.

A global event, built in Ashland

Although the Dec. 12 ceremony is online, Ashland fingerprints are all over the project. The Art Authority Museum went from a local idea nearly nine years ago to a full public launch in 2024, and its development team is still primarily based in Ashland.

No in-person local events are planned for Dec. 12, though a mostly Ashland-based team created the museum and helped organize the unveiling.

The virtual museum is best experienced with the Apple Vision Pro headset, but the Art Authority team has recently expanded access. A simple Zoom connection will provide an immersive gallery experience on Dec. 12.

“So much is new at the Art Authority Museum that’s it’s hard to keep track,” Oppenheimer said.

Apple recently highlighted the museum app during the rollout of the Vision Pro G5. The AAM team also introduced “spatial scenes,” allowing users to lean into any painting and explore its setting in 3D. And AAM released new versions of the app for Mac, iPad and iPhone.

“Our big event this Friday,” he said, “bringing back that small piece of what we lost on 9/11, transcends the museum itself. Working with granddaughter Maria Nevelson has been fantastic.”

Oppenheimer said invitations for the Dec. 12 Zoom will be sent to those already registered.

“People can certainly still sign up through Thursday (Dec. 11) and we’ll get them an invitation,” he said.

Continuing a legacy

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was one of America’s most influential sculptors, known for towering monochromatic assemblages made from scavenged wooden objects collected around New York City. Her granddaughter Maria now leads the Louise Nevelson Foundation. It has has partnered with the Ashland team since the Art Authority Museum opened last year.

For Oppenheimer, the project represents both a tribute and a technological milestone. It is part art restoration, part digital archaeology and part reimagining of what a museum can be.

The Dec. 12 rededication is free and open to the public with advance reservation. More information about the event and the exhibition is available at artauthority.museum/nevelson.

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].