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Happy Birthday, Mr. President, from Art Fans

Performance artist Sheryl Oring recently sat in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, asking people to dictate birthday wishes to President Bush.

The idea is simple: You say it. She types it, on a manual portable typewriter that she brings with her. Oring then hands the writer a stamped envelope, pre-addressed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.

"I feel like people have a lot to say, and this is an amazing method to get at what people are thinking," Oring says.

Oring has done similar performance works in Berlin and in Manhattan, during the Republican National Convention. She is headed for seven other cities before President Bush's 60th birthday, on July 6.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robert Smith is a host for NPR's Planet Money where he tells stories about how the global economy is affecting our lives.