A Statement about 

Activist Love Letters

A project by Syrus Marcus Ware

During the weekend of CTRL+ALT, one of our exhibits featured a project called Activist Love Letters – a workshop where members of the public were invited to write notes of admiration, advice and encouragement to inspirational community leaders.

Over the weekend, we learned that the artist Syrus Marcus Ware has been presenting a project of the same name and a similar concept since 2012. Ware was the first to develop Activist Love Letters, debuting it at the Feminist Art Gallery in Toronto in January 2012. It has since then shown throughout Canada, including the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Doris McCarthy Gallery and the Art Gallery of York University, among others.

We reached out to Ware, and together decided that to see this moment as an opportunity to share his long-running and widely-recognized creation. We at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center are absolutely thrilled to have met this inspirational artist, and are pleased to recognize the original Activist Love Letters, and its creator Syrus Marcus Ware.

Learn more about Syrus Marcus Ware's Activist Love Letters