Collective Ribbon

Exhibition Opening
Collective Ribbon
The Interwoven Voices of the Triangle Fire Memorial

An exhibition presented by
NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò and Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

Curated by
Richard Joon Yoo and Uri Wegman
Co-designers of the Triangle Fire Memorial

On view
October 9, 2023 – March 29, 2024
Mon-Fri 10-6

The opening will include a panel discussion with:

Richard Joon Yoo
Co-designer of the Triangle Fire Memorial and curator of Collective Ribbon

Mary Anne Trasciatti, Hofstra University
President, Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

Eric Moed, Pratt Institute

In ENGLISH

A permanent memorial for the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire is being erected on the site of the fire near Washington Square, more than a century after the fire and neglect killed 146 workers, mainly young immigrant women of Italian and Jewish descent. The “Collective Ribbon” exhibition tells the story of a unique participatory process in the design of the memorial. Our community of people from all walks of life came together and sewed a long ribbon made of hundreds of pieces of fabric. Gathered across long rows of sewing tables, the participants created a tapestry of personal fragments, stories and memories of the Triangle Fire. The texture of this collective ribbon is now etched into the steel of the permanent memorial for the Triangle Fire, making a lasting reminder of the many individual voices and stories that were, and still are, interwoven with the story and the legacy of the Triangle Fire. The exhibition offers a glimpse into some of the stories and exchanges that unfolded during the making of the ribbon, and the role of the ribbon as a communal act of commemoration, linking the present to the 1911 Triangle Fire tragedy. 

The Triangle Fire Memorial was commissioned by the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition and designed by Uri Wegman and Richard Joon Yoo.