John Giorno: Dial-A-Poem

John Giorno: Dial-A-Poem

September 7, 2025–September 13, 2026
Main Lobby

Inspired the innovations of visual artists expanding the boundaries of their practices in the 1960s, John Giorno set up his first Dial-A-Poem system in January 1969. The system consisted of 10 phones and industrial-sized answering machines. Anyone could call the number and hear a randomly-selected poem by one of 35 artists at any time, taking poetry beyond traditional publication in books and magazines.

Giorno said, "With Dial-A-Poem, I stumbled on the phenomena of the telephone as a new media, connecting three things: publicity, a telephone number, and content accessed by a huge audience. Before Dial-A-Poem, the telephone was used one-to-one. Dial-A-Poem’s success gave rise to a Dial-A-Something industry: from Dial-A-Joke, Dial-A-Horoscope, Dial-A-Stock Quotation, Dial Sports, to the 900 number paying for a call, to phone sex, and ever more extraordinary technology. Dial-A-Poem, by chance, ushered in a new era in telecommunications.”

The Dial-A-Poem in Oklahoma Contemporary's lobby is Giorno's final version, created in 2019. The push-button phone sculpture contains 282 recordings by 132 poets, artists, musicians, and activists.

Age recommendation: 18+

This exhibition features historical materials from the 1970s Beatnik period. Some works include adult themes such as sexual violence, disparaging language toward the LGBTQIA+ community, gender and racial inequities, and other explicit or harmful terms considered offensive today. These materials are presented in their historical context to provide educational insight into the era. The views expressed do not represent those of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center or its staff.