Wednesday, September 28, 2011

An Evening with Kenneth R. Feinberg / KREEGER MUSEUM

In collaboration with the 9/11 Arts Project, The Kreeger Museum presents
An Evening with Kenneth R. Feinberg
Thursday, October 6, 6:30-8 pm

Tickets: $10 / Members: Free. For reservations, call (202) 338-3552 or email visitorservices@kreegermuseum.org

The public is invited to a talk and book signing followed by a light reception with Kenneth R. Feinberg, selected by US Attorney General John Ashcroft to administer the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, created by an Act of Congress shortly after 9/11 to compensate the families of the victims. Feinberg worked for 33 months pro bono to develop the regulations governing the fund and administer all aspects of the program. 

It was his responsibility to make the decisions regarding how much each family of a 9/11 victim would receive by estimating how much each victim would have earned in a full lifetime. Families unhappy with the offer were able to appeal their case in an informal hearing. Feinberg personally presided over more than 900 of the 1,600 hearings.  At the end of the process, $7 billion was awarded to 97 percent of the families.

“It’s a brutal, sort of cold, thing to do.  Anybody who looks at this program and expects that by cutting a US Treasury check you are going to make 9/11 families happy is vastly misunderstanding what’s going on with this program,” states Feinberg.  “There is not one family member I’ve met who wouldn’t have gladly given back the check, or, in many cases, their own lives to have that loved one back. ‘Happy’ never enters into this equation.”

This program is presented as part of the 9/11 Arts Project, positioned to provide local forums for extending the dialogue, sparking community engagement and inspiring creative expression 10 years after 9/11. The arts, particularly opera, proved personally invaluable to Feinberg as a way to cope with the tragedy associated with administering the fund.  He is currently the President of the Washington National Opera.

In 2005, Feinberg published What is Life Worth? The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11 detailing his experiences. Copies will be available for purchase. For a full list of all the Project's inspiring events please visit www.911artsproject.com.
             
          
The Kreeger Museum is a private, non-profit museum located in the former residence of Carmen and David Kreeger. Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, it showcases the Kreegers’ permanent collection of 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture, as well as African art. The Kreeger Museum is located at 2401 Foxhall Road, NW in Washington, DC. The Museum is open Tues-Thurs by reservation only for the 10:30 am or 1:30 pm guided tour.  Fri & Sat open hours are 10 am-4 pm, no reservations required. For further information, call 202-337-3050 x10 or visit www.kreegermuseum.org. 

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