In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re highlighting different sessions on the blog each week.

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum opened at the World Trade Center site in May and uses 110,000 square feet of exhibit space to relay the significance of the events of 9/11. On Sunday, January 4, a panel will discuss the legal and curatorial challenges faced by the architects and exhibit developers involved in the creation of the project.

From the outset, the museum’s development was fraught with controversy.  While architects confronted the difficult task of inserting a museum building within “the archeological void of the missing Towers,” curators dealt with the ethics of displaying sensitive artifacts at the site.

Several museum staff members will be present on the panel, including Clifford Chanin (Director of Education and Public Programs) and Jan Seidler Ramirez (Chief Curator and Director of Collections).  AHA has also organized a sold-out guided tour of the museum, which will be held at 12:30 PM following the session.

See below for more information.

AHA Session 178

Title: Too Soon? (Too Sad? Too Sensitive? Too Sacred?): The National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2015: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

Location: Empire Ballroom West (Sheraton New York, Second Floor)

Chair: Richard Rabinowitz, American History Workshop

Panel:   Clifford Chanin, National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Jan Seidler Ramirez, National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Comment: Max Page, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This post first appeared on AHA Today.