Hand-Copying the Constitution

Friend of The Cramped Petey “Pete” Conklin sent me this especially timely New York Times article by Morgan O’Hara, an artist who began copying the Unites States Constitution by hand in January. From the article:

Hand copying a document can produce an intimate connection to the text and its meaning. The handwriter may discover things about this document that they never knew, a passage that challenges or moves them. They may even leave with a deeper connection to the founders and the country, or even a sense of encouragement.

I began this project motivated by psychological necessity. I now see it as a social art practice. My hope is that it will become a movement of sorts, with sessions throughout the country. It is important for us to become more intensely aware of our rights as citizens of the United States, so that as the current government tries to take them away, we will see what is happening in time to act.

Certainly what we believe in, and what we wish more people believed in.

In an effort to help make this practice a movement, Good ol’ Pete has set up a quick and dirty landing page: http://copytheconstitution.org

Happy Fourth!