Constitution Café Origins
The MDC editioned Constitution, designed for robust note taking during Constitution Cafés.
The Constitution Café was first developed in 2002 in the framework of My Daily Constitution (MDC), Linda Pollack's contribution to the exhibition Democracy When? Activist Strategizing in Los Angeles, curated by Tone Nielson at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions in Hollywood. Five thousand U.S. Constitutions, specially editioned for My Daily Constitution, were printed and displayed on a pedestal, free for the taking.
As the exhibition opening approached, reality sunk in and Linda thought, "It's great to have all of these beautifully editioned Constitutions, but how can I invite people to not only TAKE a Constitution—but to engage with, and understand—the Constitution?" Thus, the beginnings of the Constitution Café.
The first Constitution Cafés were held Sunday mornings at Les Deux Cafés, a venue known more for its trend-setting than for its forums about constitutional democracy. But that is the project's strength—bringing unlikely allies together, in public-ness, to discuss our shared civic life. My Daily Constitution took hold, and continues to this day. Constitution Cafés have been held in all kinds of spaces, including bars, churches, restaurants, libraries, parks, and dance halls, in cities of all sizes, such as Cincinnati, NYC, Seattle, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Now My Daily Constitution seeks partners around the country to organize Constitution Cafés and other events. For more information visit My Daily Constitution.
As the exhibition opening approached, reality sunk in and Linda thought, "It's great to have all of these beautifully editioned Constitutions, but how can I invite people to not only TAKE a Constitution—but to engage with, and understand—the Constitution?" Thus, the beginnings of the Constitution Café.
The first Constitution Cafés were held Sunday mornings at Les Deux Cafés, a venue known more for its trend-setting than for its forums about constitutional democracy. But that is the project's strength—bringing unlikely allies together, in public-ness, to discuss our shared civic life. My Daily Constitution took hold, and continues to this day. Constitution Cafés have been held in all kinds of spaces, including bars, churches, restaurants, libraries, parks, and dance halls, in cities of all sizes, such as Cincinnati, NYC, Seattle, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Now My Daily Constitution seeks partners around the country to organize Constitution Cafés and other events. For more information visit My Daily Constitution.
My Daily Constitution editioned U.S. Constitutions, displayed at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, as part of "Democracy When? Activist Strategizing in Los Angeles", 2002.
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Listing of the first NYC Constitution Café series, New Yorker Magazine, February 2003.
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Pilot MDC Constitution Café series, at Les Deux Cafés, Hollywood, 2002