"Approaching Humility/Its Hard to Be Humble" took place in 2003, on the eve of the anniversary of the September 11th attack on the WTC. As noted below, at that point in time, one could still earnestly wonder what the circumstances may have been if the U.S. president, who is purportedly a Christian, had reacted with what is sometimes deemed as 'true Christian humility.' A liberal response to this call for mediation via Christianity could often be characterized as a certain puzzlement steeped in secular associations with the Hebrew Bible; whereas the reaction from those raised in evangelical households is more likely to be 'if only...'. Christian or no, it seemed not only tactical to investigate humility but potentially restorative. I invited Paul Chan, Kathleen Graber, and Joel Ferree to write about humility within their specific field and its unrealized weaponry. They accepted.

Five years later, as the U.S. economy crumples, it appears more likely that humility may be a state imposed from the top down, opposed to an ethical response originating from within and disseminating laterally.

The night of the lecture the room overflowed. Perhaps there were sixty people in that 19th century classroom. Diane Cluck turned the lights off after Paul Chan's lecture. She lit a candle and played in the remedial light. Dave Deporis sang after Kathleen Graber's lecture. His singing was raw and some audience members were visibly uncomfortable. Humility and discomfort were not necessarily at odds; they tag teamed one another.

Description of the speakers and their lectures (Paul Chan, Kathleen Graber, and Joel Ferree), the musicians (Diane Cluck, Dave Deporis) and the artists (Holly Miller, Dave Ford, Austin Thomas, Goat Island): approaching-humility.pdf

Paul Chan's lecture was later published in a Serpentine Gallery catalog.

James Vicente was instrumental to the planning and orchestration of this event.