On I Want a President: Artist Talk with Zoe Leonard and Eileen Myles
Description:
Nearly three decades after Zoe Leonard wrote her iconic “I Want a President” poem in response to Eileen Myles’s presidential bid alongside George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot, the text remains an important reminder of the role art and artists can play in defining and shaping civic life. In an important national election year, Leonard’s seminal work holds a profound new resonance, raising important questions about what we seek in leadership and who we trust to represent our individual and collective interests. Leonard and Myles come together with Helen Molesworth, curator of contemporary art, for a wide-ranging discussion about their life and work and offer insight into our current moment. I Want a President has been on view in Manifesto: Art x Agency, an exhibition that explores how artists used manifestos to engage with the political and social issues of their time and how contemporary practices still employ art as a tool in the making of history.
