2. quot;We the People …quot;
“…of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union …quot;
are the stirring and familiar words that begin the Constitution.
In1787, the landmark document was approved at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It defines the U.S.
system of government and is the oldest written national
constitution in use.
In honor of that document, artist Mike Wilkins assembled his
version of the preamble to the Constitution—made from
personalized license plates that he ordered from all fifty states
and the District of Columbia. Corresponding with state
transportation officials to learn how many letters and numbers
were allowed on each plate and getting approval for each took
nearly a year.
Source: Encyclopædia Britannica Online at http://www.eb.com.
Pictured: Mike Wilkins, born 1959, Preamble, 1987, painted metal on vinyl and wood, 96 x 96 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift
of Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A.
