Six artist billboards will be set up near this year's Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago to promote civic engagement ahead of the national election in November. The artists featured on the billboards include Carrie Mae Weems, Christine Wong Yap, Ebony G. Patterson, Koyoltzinlti Miranda-Rivadeneira, Slow and Steady Wins the Race, and Jake Troyli.
This billboard initiative is organized by For Freedoms, a nonpartisan, artist-led organization established in 2016. Weems' billboard is being installed in collaboration with the Movement Voter Fund, a network focused on voter mobilization, while the other five billboards are created through a partnership with the civic and cultural agency Gertie. Additionally, there will be four photographs that reinterpret Norman Rockwell’s iconic paintings of the four freedoms, along with a permanent mural by Troyli.
The six billboards were installed on August 5 and will be displayed to the public until the end of October, aiming to maximize visibility and engagement leading up to and during the DNC this week. A billboard featuring Hank Willis Thomas's artwork was also put up in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention earlier this year.
Courtesy of For FreedomsCourtesy of For FreedomsCourtesy of For Freedoms
“It’s crucial for us, both organizationally and ideologically, to take a stand that is anti-partisan, challenging the very concept of partisanship—not just sitting in the middle, but truly questioning what partisanship means,” said Eric Gottesman, co-founder of For Freedoms, in an interview with ARTnews.
In addition to the artist billboards and photographs, the city will host the Into Action art festival from August 17 to 22, along with “Heart + Craft on Lake,” an all-day community event organized by the youth visual arts center SkyArt on August 21.
Courtesy of For Freedoms.
“It’s not just about being present at the DNC. It’s more about considering how we can bring joy, play, and community-building into these spaces,” explained taylor brock, associate director of For Freedoms.
Michelle Woo, co-founder of For Freedoms, shared that she has heard from individuals who felt that the artwork created by the organization in 2020 “changed their lives or prompted questions they had never considered before. Those are the moments that inspire me as a leader of this organization to keep pursuing our mission.”
Gottesman noted that the organization has engaged firms to assess how its work resonates with diverse demographics across the country and to help address the racial voting gap in specific communities. “Ultimately, I believe you cannot truly measure the impact of art,” he stated.
“We aim to foster compassion, conversation, joy, and community-building,” brock added. “We are still on a journey to discover and understand the best ways to achieve this, as much of it is intangible. But there has to be a way.”
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Courtesy of For Freedoms
Six artist billboards will be set up near this year's Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago to promote civic engagement ahead of the national election in November. The artists featured on the billboards include Carrie Mae Weems, Christine Wong Yap, Ebony G. Patterson, Koyoltzinlti Miranda-Rivadeneira, Slow and Steady Wins the Race, and Jake Troyli.
This billboard initiative is organized by For Freedoms, a nonpartisan, artist-led organization established in 2016. Weems' billboard is being installed in collaboration with the Movement Voter Fund, a network focused on voter mobilization, while the other five billboards are created through a partnership with the civic and cultural agency Gertie. Additionally, there will be four photographs that reinterpret Norman Rockwell’s iconic paintings of the four freedoms, along with a permanent mural by Troyli.
The six billboards were installed on August 5 and will be displayed to the public until the end of October, aiming to maximize visibility and engagement leading up to and during the DNC this week. A billboard featuring Hank Willis Thomas's artwork was also put up in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention earlier this year.
Courtesy of For FreedomsCourtesy of For FreedomsCourtesy of For Freedoms
“It’s crucial for us, both organizationally and ideologically, to take a stand that is anti-partisan, challenging the very concept of partisanship—not just sitting in the middle, but truly questioning what partisanship means,” said Eric Gottesman, co-founder of For Freedoms, in an interview with ARTnews.
In addition to the artist billboards and photographs, the city will host the Into Action art festival from August 17 to 22, along with “Heart + Craft on Lake,” an all-day community event organized by the youth visual arts center SkyArt on August 21.
Courtesy of For Freedoms.
“It’s not just about being present at the DNC. It’s more about considering how we can bring joy, play, and community-building into these spaces,” explained taylor brock, associate director of For Freedoms.
Michelle Woo, co-founder of For Freedoms, shared that she has heard from individuals who felt that the artwork created by the organization in 2020 “changed their lives or prompted questions they had never considered before. Those are the moments that inspire me as a leader of this organization to keep pursuing our mission.”
Gottesman noted that the organization has engaged firms to assess how its work resonates with diverse demographics across the country and to help address the racial voting gap in specific communities. “Ultimately, I believe you cannot truly measure the impact of art,” he stated.
“We aim to foster compassion, conversation, joy, and community-building,” brock added. “We are still on a journey to discover and understand the best ways to achieve this, as much of it is intangible. But there has to be a way.”
