It’s a little strange when you meet someone with the same name as yours. There’s this weird connection you have to this other person who is called the same thing as you. I always have a hard time saying their name. Like the pronunciation of my Julia should be slightly different from their Julia. I am jul-ya so they need to be ju-lee-ah. The book today accompanied a show called Jen 11 which was a show of eleven artists named Jennifer. This interesting concept makes you think about how much your name defines who you are. Apparently within a fifteen year period more than a million people were named Jennifer. “The exhibition was born from both a serious curiosity and a simple novelty. Have members of this Jen-eration unknowingly grown into a common artistic sensibility? Have they become creators of culture in their own particular way?” The book gives a background history of each artist and a great sampling of their works. From photographs to sculpture to drawings, there’s a nice range of styles and mediums among the Jennifers making me think being named Jennifer could be a great thing. Learn more about the project and pick up a book here.

© Julia Rothman 2007