Reflecting on 2018: See the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Year in Review

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is pleased to share the 2018 Year in Review, which offers a look back at 12 months of innovative programming and commemoration.

Ranked the top museum in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, and second ranked museum in the world, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum continues to attract overwhelming public support. In 2018, 6.6 million people visited the Memorial, bringing its total visitor count to more than 43 million. Meanwhile, the 9/11 Museum has received more than 14 million visitors since opening in May 2014, with 3.1 million visitors last year.

The Museum also launched two new exhibitions in 2018. “Comeback Season: Sports After 9/11,” which opened to the public in June, explored the ways in which sports helped to unite the country, consoled a grieving nation, and gave us a reason to cheer again following the 2001 attacks. In November, the Museum opened “Skywalkers: A Portrait of the Mohawk Ironworker at the World Trade Center Tintype Photographs by Melissa Cacciola,” an exhibition featuring portraits of the Mohawk ironworker community, which recognized their role in shaping the iconic skyline of lower Manhattan. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum also continued to host a robust public programs calendar, as well as public tributes, memorable visits and special events.

Last year, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum also celebrated two new milestones in its educational programs. Nearly 10,000 students participated in educator-led workshops and tours – an impressive 62 percent increase from the 2016–2017 school year. This growth was due in large part to a four-year challenge grant issued by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which covered admission and program costs for students in the tri-state area. Similarly, more than 200,000 students took part in the Anniversary in the Schools webinar to learn valuable lessons about the 9/11 attacks, showing a 567 percent increase in participation since 2016. The webinar is made possible in partnership with the New York Life Foundation.

Another key highlight from 2018 was the announcement of the construction of a dedicated space honoring the men and women who were sick, injured or have died from exposure to the toxins at the World Trade Center site after 9/11. Plans for the construction of the 9/11 Memorial Glade were revealed on May 30, 2017, with all six stone monoliths installed on April 6, 2019. The planned dedication of the Glade is set for May 30, 2019, which will coincide with the 17th anniversary of the official end of the recovery mission at Ground Zero.

Click here to view the 2018 Year in Review. 

By Yulia Shalomov, Executive Assistant, 9/11 Memorial & Museum