Human Interactions 5 Cents

Human Interactions 5 Cents is an ongoing set of performances in unexpected public venues which frame and model the basic elements of in-person conversation. In this project, nodding to Lucy’s booth in Charlie Brown, I offer a printed menu of options that participants may choose from such as “tell me about something that bothers you, ask me about my day, yesterday, week, month, or year, or tell me about yours” or “suggest a song and we’ll sing it together.” The focused human experience cost a nickel and lasts about 5 minutes, timed, (but frequently goes over.) Participants range from people waiting for the bus, to children, to avid art enthusiasts, to young adults questioning the structures of their lives, and I approach every interaction with total curiosity. I do not record, but take notes afterward, which will eventually populate a collection.

In its first iteration, the project took place below the Culver City Metro station on the corner of National and Washington Blvd, LA along with LA Road Concerts, a series of public performances. In its second iteration in 2019, “Human Interactions 5 Cents” was performed at Union Station downtown Los Angeles for CHANGES supported by Metro Art , and in summer of 2025, LA Road Concerts ‘Rim of the World’ organized by Stephen Van Dyck.

During the pandemic in fall of 2020, the project took place at Solidarity Street Gallery’s weekend-long art event on St. Paul, MN’s East Side along Payne Avenue, focused on solidarity, renewal and togetherness in the aftermath of George Floyd and the midst of covid-19.

In fall of 2025, the project occurred, unsanctioned, next door Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden, and the Stone Arch Bridge. 2 months later in Santa Fe at the Railyard famers market, museum hill, and the historic plaza, with future iterations in the queue.