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Unusual Art Display Brings '60s Secretaries With Typewriters To Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- If you walked through Market Square Friday evening, you probably noticed something unusual.

"Secretaries" dressed like they were out of the 1960s armed with manual typewriters, ready to take your message to President Donald Trump.

The "I Wish To Say" project is a public art exhibit that's visited a list of cities, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

It happens to be in Pittsburgh on President's Trump's 99th and 100th days in office.

"Many people have told me over the years that it's like therapy," said artist Sheryl Oring, who created "I Wish To Say." "They've compared it to a therapy session, so yes, it helps people sort of unload."

Ten typists are on hand ready to give passersby a chance to get what's on their mind, down on paper. The messages are then stamped and mailed off to the White House.

The event isn't really pro-President Trump or anti-Trump, it's about giving people a voice, and messages vary.

One woman dictated: "Mister President, you're fired!"

Another message read: "Thank God we have an outsider that can control the corruptness of our government."

Matt Zottola, from McCandless, was surprised to stumble upon the project, but dictated a letter.

"It feels good to put our views out there, and hopefully, he'll hear some of them," said Zottola.

Oring started the project back in 2004, and it's continued every Presidential election cycle since.

And as for the old-school typewriters, Oring said: "There's something really intriguing about the typewriter, especially in today's world. It's like the antithesis of Twitter, right?"

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And while Twitter may be President Trump's favorite way to communicate, he's about to get a good amount of snail mail from Pittsburgh.

They'll be typing up messages again on Saturday in Market Square from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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