Sheryl Oring: I Wish to Say

Sheryl Oring returns to University of Michigan for a month-long performance of ​“I Wish to Say” from September 29 — November 1, 2020 as part of the university’s Democracy & Debate Theme Semester in collaboration with Stamps Gallery. In this project, Oring invites university students across the country to dictate a message to the next president, typing the notes on vintage typewriters. These interactions will be staged as virtual performances via Zoom every Tuesday from 4.30 pm‑6.30 pm and Sunday from 1 pm‑3 pm during the project’s run. Oring was last on the Ann Arbor campus in 2017 as part of the Stamps Gallery exhibition Vital Signs for a New America, curated by Srimoyee Mitra. Oring will collaborate with students on the project, training them on how to take dictation on mid-century manual typewriters to execute the project via Zoom. The typed postcards will be mailed directly to the White House on the participant’s behalf after the inauguration.

Additionally, selected messages will be set in Voters’ Broadcast, a new musical work conceived and composed by Lisa Bielawa, which will bring together choirs from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. The 15-minute musical work will be released in three parts over the course of the fall semester as part of the Democracy & Debate Theme Semester programming.

“This is an opportunity for our communities to speak out as we face a critical presidential election. I want to give people in Michigan a chance to record their views at this extraordinary point in history when the state has faced such tremendous challenges stemming from the pandemic while also grappling with the impact of systemic racism.” Sheryl Oring