Last Words: An Installation

September 7 – December 15, 2017

University Library Gallery

California State University, Sacramento


The words we speak veer from the noble to the ignominious. They may be truthful and precise words, or they may be manipulative and obscuring. In this moment of blatantly dishonest political speech LAST WORDS memorializes the final words we utter. We can’t necessarily know what our last words will be. They may be silly, inconsequential, tender, droll, and heartbreaking. But they are often unforgettable to those who are present to hear them. This installation is comprised of last words said by both public figures and by people known only to those close to them. The speakers’ identities are intentionally anonymous, for it’s the universality of this exchange that Last Words honors.