Larry Towell’s image of people in the streets on Sept. 11, 2001, as the plume of dust looms in the background

Beautiful, chilling, astonishing—they’re all adjectives describing the photographs included in a new exhibit, “New York, September 11” by Magnum Photos contributors, on display at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery through Monday, Oct. 18.

Organized by the worldwide photographic cooperative and toured by International Arts & Artists of Washington, D.C., the exhibit features 39 rare photos and began touring the nation five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

The exhibition is the first of the fall 2010 semester. It’s free and, as always, open to the public.

“These photographers captured images as they happened—many from an intimate, street-level perspective—providing imagery that is chilling and astonishing,” said Baldwin Gallery Curator Tom Jimison. “The majority of the photographs were taken the morning of Sept. 11. While many photographers focused on the buildings under attack and other forms of destruction, others chose to capture the raw emotions of New Yorkers.”

The display also includes nostalgic photos of the World Trade Center twin towers before their fall, helping viewers learn about, process and remember that world-changing day.

Paul Fusco’s image of former President Bill Clinton hugging a firefighter’s wife near the Armory after the attacks

Magnum Photos provides photographs to the press, publishers, advertising, television, galleries and museums across the world. International Arts & Artists in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts.

The Baldwin Gallery is located in the McWherter Learning Resources Center. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (615) 898-2085.

Susan Meiselas’s image of a sculpture garden near the World Trade Center, covered in debris