Happy midweek everyone! Tori here.
As an Art History major focused on the art of the AIDS crisis, I often explore the social roles of art, especially art that is shown in public spaces.
You may have seen my post on our IG about public art. I talked about how public spaces have long been spaces for marginalized and/or activist artists to display work that would not have traditionally been accepted into museums/galleries because of elitism and prejudices. Public places have also ensured wider reaches, more eyes and more diverse eyes at that, because art is displayed in everyday spaces rather than solely confined to art institutions.
Billboards are a great example of public spaces that guarantee wide reaches. This is one reason why artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres frequently displayed artwork with AIDS/AIDS-related subject matter on billboards. ACT UP’s artist collective, Gran Fury, also displayed artwork on spaces that were traditionally used for advertisements, such as the sides of buses, to widely debunk destructive falsehoods about AIDS.
Continuing this legacy of art in public spaces, traditionally reserved for ads, is non-binary artist and activist Jonah Welch, who launched the Trans People are Sacred National Billboard Campaign last month.
Welch’s project began in July 2019 in collaboration with SaveArtSpace, a nonprofit organization that harnesses advertisement spaces to display art that contains messages for social change. They launched a billboard in Detroit, Michigan that read, “Trans People Are Sacred.”
Welch shares in their IG post, “The billboard was intended to strengthen representation and inspire hope for Trans individuals in Detroit, but the piece spread like wildfire. The words, Trans People Are Sacred, took root, and catalyzed profound healing for individuals and communities the world over.”
Now, Welch, working with SaveArtSpace, artist Dakota Camacho, and artist Ryan Young, has expanded the project into the Trans People Are Sacred Billboard Campaign. Currently seeking trans and non-binary artists to create artwork for the project, and “dedicating the majority of billboard space to the work of Trans & Non-Binary BIPOC artists,” (x) they will display the selected works on billboards in 100 cities throughout the U.S., with an especial focus on conservative areas in the South and Southwest.
By displaying these works in 100 public spaces that guarantee countless eyes, they will advocate for trans visibility, representation, and support, fostering positive messages about trans identities, feeling strongly that, “because of its inherent accessibility and visibility, it is our belief that public art holds the potential to shift culture.” (x)
Selected artists will receive $1,000 for their work. For more information and for those able to donate, here is a link to the project’s Gofundme with additional details about the campaign.
