“I Wish to Say” grew out of Sheryl Oring’s concern that not enough voices were being heard about the state-of-affairs in this country and her belief in the value of free expression that is guaranteed under our Constitution. For this project, Oring sets up a portable public office – complete with a manual typewriter – and invites people to dictate postcards to the President.
This ongoing project began in 2004 with a commission from The First Amendment Project in Oakland, CA, and has had two national tours thanks to grant support from the Creative Capital Foundation. To date, 4,241 postcards have been sent to the White House as part of this project. In 2024, Oring is embarking on a fall tour to document the historic presidential election. Recent stops include Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.
As a lead up to election day, she will visit the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library on October 31 during which she will invite participants to dictate messages to the presidential candidates. She will return to NPML in January 2025 to mount an exhibition that will feature postcards from the 2024 series, including the work she creates here on site in St. Petersburg.