“The reason for evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories.” ~Carl Jung

As I began research for this piece, I looked at myriad forms of war propaganda and began to realize that there hasn’t been a time in recorded human history where people weren’t lied to by governments.   Propaganda is powerful.  It’s not only used in war but also in marketing.  We believe the lies because sometimes it’s easier than acknowledging the truth and understanding our part in it.  This made me think of the mirror that life is and the power of telling our stories.  I was intrigued by the censored letters sent home from the soldiers during WWII;  sometimes the letters were censored by the government for security purposes but sometimes they were filled with lies or half-truths to ease the suffering of the soldiers’ families.  These letters inspired this participatory art project.

This is an invitation.

I invite you to look in a mirror, take a pen and write your letter.  Tell your story.

I invite you to scan or take a photo of it and email it to me.  I will post all the letters I receive.

Thank you to MAP Theatre for hanging this art in their lobby during the run of The Art of Bad Men by Vincent Delaney and thank you for participating.  I look forward to reading your stories.