University artist’s memorial urn enters National September 11 Museum collection

Tom Lane is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Ceramic Area and a master mold maker who specializes in casting large porcelain vessels. 9/11 Memorial Urn is part of his ongoing research into conflict and loss. 

According to Lane, the problem was simple. This memorial vessel had to be as beautiful as possible to honor the lives lost on 9/11. CAD design and CNC milling was used to give the vessel a perfection of form. “I wanted it be as if human hands had not touched it.”

The 9/11 Memorial Urn represents hundreds of hours of research time. 911 Memorial Urn is 51” high and 16” wide. It has been fired three times; the last firing fusing iron pigmented text to the surface of the white matte glaze. The lid contains the speech George Bush gave the evening of September 11, 2001. The remainder of the surface holds the 2,977 victim’s names from all the events of that tragic day.

This research project was funded in part by an Imagine Fund Award.

The 9/11 Memorial Urn will be part of the permanent collection at the National September 11 Museum in New York City.

In the media

View news stories about the urn:

• KARE 11
• KSTP TV