Life-Changing Art: Frank Warren (PostSecret)

What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?

I went to high school in Springfield, Illinois. It’s kind of the center of the U.S. with very Midwestern values. My friends were getting into punk rock and new wave at a time when I felt pretty alone at my school. I felt especially conncected to the music of the Talking Heads and the Clash. Music was the first way I felt connected to a larger community. It reflected my inner values and self. It was there, outside my immediate family and community—whether it was reading articles in Rolling Stone, or staying up late to watch some of the great punk bands on the Tom Snyder show, or traveling to a record shop in Chicago and discovering records that weren’t available in Springfield—that I felt a sense of community.

Frank Warren is the creator of the PostSecret website and series of best-selling books. His new book, Confessions on Life, Death, and God, was inspired by his contribution to AVAM's All Faiths Beautiful exhibition. Today, Warren gives a presentation in AVAM's Tall Sculpture Barn. He'll also sign copies of his books.