A List of Signed Names in Which Nobody Signed Their Own Name but Signed the Name of Another

A project by Micah Lexier

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A young person looks at a book with blue pages. The facing pages each contain a list of handwritten names.

In December 2008, the Owens Art Gallery invited the artist Micah Lexier to create a project for the students of Marshview Middle School in Sackville, New Brunswick. The only stipulation was that it involve every student in the school. Micah Lexier’s project description is as follows:

“My idea for the Marshview Middle School project is to make a collective portrait of the school by producing a list that includes every student’s name.

Each name will be handwritten but no student will write their own name; instead, each name will be written by a different student in the school. In this way each student will be represented two ways, once with their name and once with their handwriting.”

Carried out with the support of Danny Coughlin, Principal, and Kirsten Harpur and Douglas Stewart, Art Teachers, Marshview Middle School. Organized by Lucy MacDonald, Curator of Education and Community Outreach with Sara Williamson, Intern, Owens Art Gallery.