A teapot stands silent in the Tarble Arts Center to represent the Sept. 11 attacks.

David Griffin, an Eastern art professor, created the piece to reflect his reaction to the attacks on America. “A moment of redefinition” is on display as part of the 2001 Art Faculty Exhibition.

At first glance, viewers would most likely not recognize the piece’s relationship to the attacks, but each part of the work holds significance.

The teapot’s black, five-sided base represents the Pentagon, and the color black relates to mourning and loss, Griffin said. One side of the base is red, indicating where the plane crashed into the structure.

A red, cone-shaped piece at the top of the teapot represents the tragedy at World Trade Center, and a small red dot on the side symbolizes the crashed plane in Pennsylvania, he said.

“Anywhere there is red on the piece is indicating tragedy and loss of life,” Griffin said.

The two tower-like structures of the handle depict the World Trade Center towers, and a cloud-like handle illustrates the smoke, he said.

Griffin said the somber colors of his teapot piece reflect introspection and thinking about the meaning of life.

He said he had just started another piece when the attack on America occurred. The piece he had been planning suddenly seemed trivial.

“I sat for several days actually kind of numb,” he said.

He said he had to redefine why his work as an artist was important.

“Art is a valuable resource for us to view the world in another way,” he said. “Hopefully (art will) show that there is good out there and inspire others. As humans, we can create something beautiful.”

A more direct artistic response to the attacks is also on display at Tarble. Art professor Jeffrey Boshart’s piece, “WTC: 091101,” depicts the World Trade Center after the attack through two stone towers standing two feet high.

The solid columns, with gaping, block-shaped holes, are characterized by a cold gray color and sharp right angles.

“The shape of the space between the two towers is the message,” Boshart said. “You have to be willing to see what’s not there. It talks about the attack, but it doesn’t talk about the healing.”

He said the piece communicates a sense of hope. “It’s not all despair. There’s also a positive side as part of that healing process,” he said.

Kristen Schaffnit, a sophomore elementary education major, said the piece, being made of stone, was an accurate symbol of the World Trade Center being the strong center of New York.

In reaction to the piece, she said, “It’s a really simple design, but it has a complex meaning to it.”