Adrian Piper on the Earned Power of Self-Identification

LETTER 20
DEAR EDITOR

Adrian Piper to various editors

1 January 2003

Born in New York in 1948, Adrian Piper is a conceptual artist and philosopher whose achievements, both academic and professional, are impressive by anyone’s standards. At the age of 20, while studying at the School of Visual Arts, she began to exhibit her artwork around the world. After graduating, she hopped over to the City College of New York to earn a B.A. in Philosophy, then entered Harvard for her Ph.D. All told, her formal education lasted 27 years, after which she began to spread her wings professionally.

She has won numerous awards for her work, including in 2015 the Golden Lion Award for Best Artist at the 56th Venice Biennale, and her artwork can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others. She has also authored multiple philosophical texts for which she has been awarded numerous fellowships. In 2003, with all of this in mind, Piper wrote an open letter to all editors.

 

THE LETTER

Dear Editor:

 

Please don’t call me a black artist.

Please don’t call me a black philosopher.

Please don’t call me an African American artist.

Please don’t call me an African American philosopher.

 

Please don’t call me a woman artist.

Please don’t call me a woman philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female artist.

Please don’t call me a female philosopher.

 

Please don’t call me a black woman artist.

Please don’t call me a black woman philosopher.

Please don’t call me an African American woman

artist.

Please don’t call me an African American woman

philosopher.

Please don’t call me a black female artist.

Please don’t call me a black female philosopher.

Please don’t call me an African American female

artist.

Please don’t call me an African American female

philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female black artist.

 

Please don’t call me a female black philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female African American

artist.

Please don’t call me a female African American

philosopher.

 

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be black.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be African American.

 

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be a

woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

female.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be female.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

black and a woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be black and a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be a

woman and black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be a woman and black.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

African American and a woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be African American and a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be a

woman and African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be a woman and African American.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

black and female.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be black and female.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

female and black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be female and black.

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

African American and female.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be African American and female.

 

Please don’t call me an artist who happens to be

female and African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher who happens to

be female and African American.

I have earned the right to be called an artist.

Please don’t call me a black artist and philosopher.

Please don’t call me a black philosopher and artist.

Please don’t call me an African American artist and

philosopher.

Please don’t call me an African American philosopher and artist.

 

Please don’t call me a woman artist and philosopher.

Please don’t call me a woman philosopher and

artist.

Please don’t call me a female artist and philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female philosopher and

artist.

 

Please don’t call me a black woman artist and

philosopher.

Please don’t call me a black woman philosopher

and artist.

Please don’t call me an African American woman

artist and philosopher.

 

Please don’t call me an African American woman

philosopher and artist.

Please don’t call me a black female artist and

philosopher.

Please don’t call me a black female philosopher and

artist.

Please don’t call me an African American female

artist and philosopher.

Please don’t call me an African American female

philosopher and artist.

Please don’t call me a female black artist and

philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female black philosopher and

artist.

Please don’t call me a female African American

artist and philosopher.

Please don’t call me a female African American

philosopher and artist.

 

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be black.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be African American.

 

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be a woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be female.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be female.

 

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be black and a woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be black and a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be a woman and black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be a woman and black.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be African American and a woman.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be African American and a woman.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be a woman and African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be a woman and African American.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be black and female.

 

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be black and female.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be female and black.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be female and black.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher

who happens to be African American and

female.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be African American and female.

Please don’t call me an artist and philosopher who

happens to be female and African American.

Please don’t call me a philosopher and artist who

happens to be female and African American.

 

Dear Editor,

I hope you will bring to my attention any permutations I have overlooked.

 

I write to inform you that

I have earned the right to be called an artist.

I have earned the right to be called a philosopher.

I have earned the right to be called an artist and

philosopher.

I have earned the right to be called a philosopher

and artist.

I have earned the right to call myself anything I

like.

 

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Adrian Piper

1 January 2003

__________________________________

From Letters of Note: Art by Shaun Usher, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Compilation and introduction copyright © 2020 by Shaun Usher.