Harvey Potter

Artist Statement:

On 9/11,  I watched two planes crash into the Twin Towers from a midtown office, horrified to see the WTC towers melting to the ground.  It was only a few years earlier that I reported to work at CantorFitzgerald's WTC office. I prayed unsuccessfully that  my Cantor colleagues weren't there that morning.  The image of the tattered flag flown by first responders on top of the Ground-zero pile became etched in my memory. The flag was a reminder that we are "New York Strong." As Americans, We have survived natural disasters, civil unrest and terrorism. In 2020, however, the world was faced with a new crisis–the COVID-19 pandemic.  Once again, New York took center stage as America’s Ground-Zero.  Like post-9/11 New York, navigating our newfound reality was both a collective effort and an individual one. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I embarked on a cross-country journey that took me from Manhattan, to sandy northeastern shores and to the rugged terrain of America’s western frontier. I saw an America united in a resolve to overcome. Each of the enclosed pieces form parts of larger collections that symbolize our collective resolve and what we already know - what unites us is stronger than what separates us.  A cloud may hover, but we stare ahead and upward into the sun-kissed sky.   We may look tattered and wounded, but we stand as warriors – waving our scars proudly as a symbol of our resolve.  We are tenacious.  We are optimistic.  We are resilient.  #NewYorkStrong.