Publicar

There are two voices that inscribe the public space. One of them is ours, and it is ephemeral, improvised, and temporal. The other voice is the state’s, and it tries to be permanent and monumental. It is made of stone and bronze. Our material is cork, capable of accommodating us all—even if for a short time. In this monument, all we need is a scrap of paper, a pen, and a thumbtack to publish our voice. — Paul Ramirez Jonas

Artist and arts educator Paul Ramirez-Jonas often integrates his work with contributions from the public, whether it be coins, promises, or the contents of their wallets. Located outside the front entrance of Tisch Library, Ramirez-Jonas’s Publicar invites the public to contribute their voices. Publicar adopts the format of traditional stone monuments typically used to commemorate events or people deemed significant by the state. However, in lieu of a permanently inscribed bronze plaque, Ramirez-Jonas placed a corkboard at the center of the granite boulder, subverting the permanence and univocality that characterize many public monuments. As all Tufts community members are welcome to post event notices or messages to this corkboard, Publicar is a monument to the voices and day-to-day rhythms of our present.

Image: Paul Ramirez-Jonas, American, b. 1965, Publicar, 2011/2017. Granite, cork, multicolor pushpins, paper, contributions from the public. Tufts University Permanent Collection. Gift of the artist, 2018.012.