ashley mask: artist.educator.photographer.maker of things

Dear Mr. President… is a public, participatory artwork. During early 2009,
people in various U.S. locations, will sit in their third place*, with pen, paper,
typewriter, and a sign reading “Dear Mr. President…” The artwork is co-created by
this person (the secretary) and passersby. Participants will dictate a letter to the
President, and the secretary will transcribe the letter. At the end of the day, all
of the letters will be mailed to the White House. Referencing civic engagment,
democratic action, and dialogue around personal and public issues of concern,
Dear Mr. Present… encourages a continuation of the involvement we all sense in
the months leading up to a national election; the energy of involvement that
often lags and falters in the months after the election. By instigating conversation
between people around the topics that concern us, I am making manifest the noble
and oft neglected opportunity we have to speak openly about our views with one
another; where even every citizen can write and speak directly to our President.

*“Third places," or "great good places” are the many public places where people
can gather, put aside the concerns of home and work (their first and second
places), and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively
conversation. They are at the heart of a community’s social vitality and the
grassroots of a democracy.
- Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place