A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful

A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful is a living catalogue of the ways in which we relate to the uncertainty of tomorrow. Visitors of the Rubin Museum of Art are invited to anonymously share their anxieties and hopes on vellum cards and hang them on the collective wall. On view for the duration of 2018, the installation grew into a monolithic barometer of the year where visitors could explore thousands of individual meditations that ranged from personal, local, and specific statements to political, theoretical, and spiritual reflections.

Over 55,000 responses were received: I’m anxious because… of the atmosphere of hate, I care too much about what people think of me, student loan debt, our nation is more socially fragmented than before, it’s hard to forgive someone you love, being misunderstood is scary, my son is struggling with alcohol abuse, we’re building things we don’t understand. I’m hopeful because… he seems committed about his recovery, what I focus on always grows, I believe in love when I never thought I would, my mother is becoming more accepting of others, music saves my life a little every day, I know I am not alone, I am making a plan. The installation revealed the apprehensions, expectations, and stories that define our field of vision and how they correlate with the collective mood.