I Wish to Say

This week we've been studying performance artists in my Art and Technology class, and one of them was Sheryl Oring.  She is known for using typewriters to do her work.

One of her ongoing projects is called "I Wish to Say," which stemmed from her worry that the voice of the people wasn't really reaching the US government.  This project consisted of Oring typing up postcards containing what different people wanted to say to the President.  Every postcard was typed word-for-word, and all the original documents were sent to the White House while she kept copies.

One of the postcards was dictated by Penny Ross, a former junior high school art teacher.  She revealed that her job had been erased because the state she lived in, Arizona, had ended its funding for the arts.
Reading that story in Sheryl Oring's blog stunned me.  Being an art major, I just couldn't believe that funding for the arts would come to a halt anywhere.  I really hope something is done about this once it reaches the government, because I know I'm not the only one who considers it a great loss for any student not to be educated in some way in any subject of the arts.