Free Art Friday NoVA | Dear Suburbia

This week marks the one year anniversary of my very first Free Art Friday drop. Letting go of that first piece was an anxiety filled experience. I honestly did not believe I would ever put another piece of free art out into the world. The entire process stirred up so many questions and debates within myself (and a bit of debate outside of myself as well). Would this helpless little piece of art be safe? Would it find a happy art loving home? Am I crazy to keep giving away art? Who owns art? What is ownership? How are artists connected to the communities in which they live and work? Can the surprise of finding a piece of free art on a sidewalk or a park bench disrupt the isolation experienced by many people living in suburbia? Soon enough, however, the second piece was out there in the world, and then the third. I kept making the pieces. I remained determined and dedicated to placing these pieces out in the world for anyone to find. Through the year my world changed in ways that I never could have imagined. With more than 50 art drops over the past year, I am grateful for all of the love and art, for the amazing friends I’ve met along the way, and for the incredible opportunity to learn about chance, interconnectivity, love, and surrender.

To celebrate my one year Free Art Friday anniversary, today in Fairfax I’ll be placing three of my little lovelies out in the world for anyone to find. Keep a look out! Happy Free Art Finding!

And I also have to say, I have immense love and gratitude for all of the awesome Free Art Finders. Here are a few of them. Please post photos if you find a Free Art Friday piece. Here’s to another year of Free Art Friday NoVA! xoxo

As part of the worldwide phenomenon that is Free Art Friday, I’ve placed at least one piece of free art in Northern Virginia for anyone to find and keep nearly every Friday since August 2013. Think of it as street art that anyone can take home. Imagine it as a way of building and engaging community. I view this project as a way to disrupt the isolation of living in Suburbia by creating situations of chance and surprise, and instigating dialogue about ownership, creativity, commodity fetishism, community, and connectivity. The transitory, ephemeral, and unpredictable elements of my Free Art Friday experience have come to feel very much akin to aspects of performance art. Through these eight months or so, the process of creating art specifically designed for Free Art Friday, scouting out locations, leaving my art out in the world, taking photographs of my free art in a variety of locations, posting the photographs to social media, and engaging with the audience have evolved into an ongoing, elaborate, documented, and joy-filled performance. The audience is key. Finders, admirers, and even critics of this project have helped to form and influence its evolution in ways I had never imagined. I’ll be leaving another piece somewhere in the world today. You can view past Free Art Friday pieces and look for clues to find pieces yourself by following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Happy Finding!

Here’s a look back at a few of my Free Art Friday drops from the past eight months: