It has been the fastest summer ever, hasn't it? One fun thing I did was make tiny art to give away on Free Art Fridays. After participating in a few community and school art hunts over the last couple of years with my students, I started thinking about the kind of art I wanted to give away. Many artists who participate in the FAF movement have nicknames and recognizable logos or street art inspired characters. I decided that my favorite part was the surprise of finding treasure and I added the exciting element of opening a gift, so I decided to go with the project name "Check the Box." This way I can experiment with different kinds of art inside the box, and even collaborations with other artists, while keeping it uniform with the recycled, stenciled boxes - mostly matchboxes, gum/candy boxes and CD cases.
Here are a few pieces I dropped at the Free Art Decatur art hunt in June, and a few finds, too. I also ran into a teacher from Chattanooga that I have been collaborating with - it was great to meet her in person! She had drops of her own and from her students to share from Tennessee.
Artists and hunters use social networking like Twitter and Instagram to leave clues about the drop spots and also to thank the artists when the piece is found.
The next pieces you see will be dropped in New York City by a lifelong friend of mine who visits NYC regularly because she's the smartest person I know with a super cool job there. I've never been there, but I've always had a feeling it would be my favorite place! I have also sent a few pieces to teacher friends in a few other places around the US, and even in my neighborhood's own Little Free Library :)
I am really happy to have learned about the Free Art Movement and I am loving being a part of it. My students have gotten a real kick out of it too. It really gets to the heart of what it's all about for me.
