Ithaca College

The Handwerker Gallery seeks faculty, staff, and student co-coordinators for the nationwide project, Official Unofficial Voting Stations: Voting for all who legally can’t, in collaboration with artist Aram Han Sifuentes and the Jane Addams Hull-House (Chicago). The gallery will serve as the Ithaca hub for this exciting project and seeks help in the creation of our own voting box and recruitment strategies.

Email Gallery Director Mara Baldwin with questions: mbaldwin@ithaca.edu

PRESS RELEASE:

This 2016 election season is energized and deeply polarized. Troubling behaviors, campaigns of bigotry and fear, and frustrations with candidate choices have produced anxiety and disillusionment. Additionally, there are 11 million immigrants, 5.8 million felony convicted individuals, 73.7 million children, and many other American residents who have a stake in our joint future and are barred from casting ballots. What happens when voting is not an option or not enough of one? From September 8 through election day November 8 the discontented and disenfranchised can cast ballots at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and the Official Unofficial Voting Stations.

As a legal alien of the United States who is barred from voting, Aram Han Sifuentes’ Official Unofficial Voting Stations inserts an unsanctioned voting process into this year’s election season. This project is an objection to the exclusion of herself and others from central democratic processes. Official Unofficial Voting Stations will be hosted internationally and nationally by collaborators in Chicago, Baltimore/DC, Philadelphia, Ithaca, Detroit, and Oaxaca/Chiapas, Mexico. All ballots cast at these voting stations will be returned to Jane Addams Hull-House to be counted and will contribute to an installation at the Museum.