Artist, survivor unveiling 9/11 piece in Elgin

Sept. 11, 2001 affected every American in different ways.

Some wrote about their experiences, some volunteered to help others or some even joined the Army.

George Kokines, a renowned abstract artist who was in the first World Trade Center tower hit by the terrorists, spent years on a three-part commemorative work that will be unveiled to the public this Sept. 11 at the Gail Borden Library in Elgin.

Kokines, a Chicago native who moved back from New York four years ago, said he didn't want to show any concept of death in the work, titled "September 11th."

"I've been working on the piece for years," he said in a telephone interview. "It's been through a lot a transition, a lot of changes. It's commemorative. It's not an autopsy. This is a form of closure in a way."

Kokines, who operates out of a studio in Rogers Park, used cement, steel, paint and wood to make the pieces, the largest of which is 16 feet by 8 feet.

The unveiling will come after the American Legion and city of Elgin hold a commemoration ceremony at 9 a.m. at Walton Island, located south of the library, 270 N. Grove Ave. It will be in Elgin for just a month.

The event was organized by the city's Cultural Arts Commission and the Palmer Foundation.

The work also will serve as a backdrop to a play called "The Guys," presented by the Janus Theatre company from Sept. 3 to 5 at the Elgin Art Showcase at the Elgin Professional Building, 164 Division St., Elgin.

The play tells the story of firefighters and emergency personnel who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. In the play, a firefighter trying to eulogize his fallen brothers contacts a writer to share his remembrances and they both form a deep bond.

Kokines he will share his thoughts with the audience at the end. For tickets, which are $15, call (847)-841-1713 or visit janustheatre.wordpress.com.

Kokines, who studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and taught at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, said it is difficult to express in words or art the feelings and emotions from that fateful day.

"It's a situation that defies understanding. It's always difficult to express something like this. The day will always be in my mind," he said. "My experience was unique. I needed to get it out of my psychology. (The piece) is an experience. It's meant to be enlightening, perhaps illuminating. People just don't want to deal with it or talk about it."

Kokines didn't want to talk much about the events nine years ago, but said one thing really stuck in his mind.

"As I was leaving, the firemen we just getting there. I looked at their faces and they were scared (to death) and I know they're all dead," he said.