From the Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts
Please use your polite "inside voice".
Be careful and considerate of others.
No food, drink, candy or gum are allowed in the galleries.
Please do not touch the artwork. Special care must be taken to preserve the artwork and maintain the presentation of each exhibition. The oils on your skin will damage the surface of a painting, discolor bronze or rust steel. Please help us to preserve the art for other visitors and for future generations.
Please do not touch the poem
Please do not touch the poem.
Even the cleanest hand
may bring minuscule shavings of meaning
into contact with its surface.
Please do not breathe on the poem.
Even the gentlest of temperature changes
may affect the warmth of my words.
Please do not look at the poem.
Even the mildest of glances
may add weight to one of the abstract nouns.
Please do not move the poem.
It's at its best behind glass
and may become unbalanced
if encouraged to alter its viewpoint.
You may
of course
allow the poem
to touch, breathe on, look at or move
you.
