Contents

3 — Letter from Hank and Eric 16 — The For Freedoms Lawn Sign Guide

6 — The For Freedoms 19 — The For Freedoms Billboard Guide Network

10 — The For Freedoms 21 — Institutional Collaborators Town Hall Guide

13 — The For Freedoms 23 — 50 State Partners Exhibition Guide Dear Partner,

We founded For Freedoms in 2016 as a platform for civic By signing onto our initiative, you will have access to a growing engagement, discourse, and direct action for artists in the national directory of over 175 artists and 100 institutions. . Inspired by Norman Rockwell’s 1943 paintings Together, we can help facilitate new partnerships and of the four universal freedoms articulated by Franklin Delano collaborations throughout the network that were previously Roosevelt in 1941—, freedom of worship, unavailable. freedom from want, and freedom from fear—we seek to use art to deepen public discussions of civic issues and core values, We believe in the collective power of artists. We are committed and to clarify that citizenship in American society is defined by to the idea that democracy thrives on free dialogue. participation, not by ideology.

In the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative in September–November JOIN US. FOR FREEDOMS. FOR US ALL. 2018, concurrent decentralized art exhibitions and public & Eric Gottesman events across the country will encourage broad participation in Co-founders, For Freedoms civic discourse and, through lifting up a multiplicity of voices, will spark a national dialogue about art, education, advertising and politics.

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 3 50 STATE INITIATIVE Overview

The 50 State Initiative is a non-partisan, nationwide campaign to use art as a means of inspiring broad civic participation. Along the way, we aim to build a network of artists, arts institutions and civic leaders and to map and connect the cultural and artistic infrastructure in the United States.

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 4 50 STATE INITIATIVE HOW TO PARTICIPATE

ACTIVATIONS PLANNING TIMELINE

There are four main ways for · Add one or more of these SUMMER 2018 your institution or community to activations to your pre-existing Push PR for events and promote participate in the 50 State Initiative: programs initiative. Release For Freedoms’ · Brand already-planned events expanded artist, teaching, and · Billboards at your institution as part of the institutional resources. · Town Halls 50 State Initiative · Lawn Signs · Creating new programs that SEPT – NOV 2018 · Exhibitions connect to our Curatorial 50-state coordinated events occur. Questions (see page 15)

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 5 Billboards FOR FREEDOMS Billboards

WHY PRODUCE ARTIST-MADE COST OTHER BILLBOARDS? $2000-$5000, depending on: It may be cheaper to produce non-traditional or We believe that if artists’ voices replace advertising • Location (rural is cheaper than urban) DIY billboards by printing on vinyl and installing across the country, public discourse will become • # of billboards (renting multiple on bus benches, subway ads, on fences or even on a more nuanced. billboards can reduce the rate) free-standing board. • Are you a non-profit? (“political” rates HOW TO DO IT are more expensive; say yours is Rareform will upcycle your billboard vinyl into There are 3 major national billboard companies— "art") products you can distribute or sell. Clear Channel, Lamar Advertising, Outfront • Negotiate (all billboard companies Media. Contact their regional office in your area negotiate; don’t be shy!) If you have any questions about creating your own, and they will provide you with locations and please feel free to contact us!

production specs. TO INCREASE IMPACT • Hire a photographer to document DESIGN the billboards You or the artist you work with provides a design to • Post documentation on social media the billboard company (usually a .pdf or .eps file). • Send images to: The company will approve, print and install. For [email protected] basic design guidelines, see here or here. • Ask your institution’s PR department to notify local news outlets

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 7 BILLBOARDS Traditional Billboards

For Freedoms with Spider Martin Carrie Mae Weems x For Freedoms Pearl, Mississippi, 2016 Columbus, Ohio, 2016

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 8 BILLBOARDS Create Your Own Billboard

For Freedoms at MFA Boston Aida Muluneh x For Freedoms at AfroPunk Boston, Massachusetts, 2017 New York, New York, 2016

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 9 Town Halls FOR FREEDOMS Town Halls

WHAT IS A FOR FREEDOMS TOWN HALL? PAST EXAMPLES Our Town Halls are forums for inclusive public conversations that A conversation in a museum about immigration populated only by self-identified • are artist-led immigrants • can be inspired by one of the (fear, speech, want or worship) • welcome many kinds of voices and points of view A round-table talk about food insecurity amongst chefs, artists and urban • provoke active, critical listening agriculturalists

FORMAT Artists and lawyers discussing the First Amendment For Freedoms Town Halls are meant to be an artful act—the goal is civic engagement and dynamic conversation. There is no required format, topic, or rules for the A rifle-range visit led by an artist and discussion of gun culture among doctors, discussion. It could be a walking tour of a city, an artist critique, or a debate. What gun enthusiasts and historians. happens when we begin to think of dialogue and discourse as an artistic medium unto itself? Let us know how it goes. Document your town hall and send us video or pictures!

WHO PARTICIPATES This is an opportunity to highlight the expertise among artists, designers, policy makers, community organizers and citizens in your city or town. If helpful, we can recommend local artists or institutions in our network.

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 11 TOWN HALLS Examples

For Freedoms Town Hall : Freedom from Fear : Migration For Freedoms Town Hall : Collective Thinking MOCA , 2017 Aperture Foundation, 2017

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 12 Exhibitions FOR FREEDOMS Exhibitions

CURATORIAL QUESTIONS HOW TO RESPOND TO THESE DOCUMENTATION Exhibitions connected to the 50 State Initiative QUESTIONS An important part of this overall 50 State Initiative respond to the following prompts: • What most urgently needs to be addressed in is connecting all programming nationwide. Please your community? begin to plan a strategy for documenting your 1. As clay in the hands of the artist, Democracy, • How do local artists respond? participation in images, videos, sounds, and text. especially in America, proves malleable. Shaped • What programming are you already doing that We will follow with more information about this in by its founders, reshaped by its citizens over and responds to these ideas? the coming months. over, it remains uncast, ever-evolving. Whose hands shape it now? Whose voices rise? Whose EXHIBITION FORMAT THE NETWORK CAN ALSO PROVIDE stay silent? What do you want it to be? A symposium, a film • A Curriculum Guide - with ideas for how to 2. Art does not separate from power. Art is series, a group or solo exhibition in a gallery or integrate the exhibition into teaching connected and networked and also messy. anything else you think would represent your • A PR Strategy Guide - a national and local Art encourages social movement and enables institution's interests. campaign as well as through social media participation. What do artists do that others • A Local Fundraising Guide - with specific tips do not? What is their special power? What does We will provide a For Freedoms 50 State Initiative about raising money art offer to political speech? How can art make Statement and For Freedoms branding that can be • Avenues of communication among our nation- social action better? posted as part of the exhibition. wide network of partners 3. In this moment, we aim to unite students, artists, citizens and arts institutions throughout the country in a simultaneous exploration of art and public life. What is the power of synchronicity, of unity? And what is the value of discord and disagreement?

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 14 EXHIBITIONS

Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Norman Rockwell For Freedoms Residency at MOMA PS1 For Freedoms Exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery Long Island City, New York, 2017 New York, New York, 2016

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 15 Lawn Signs FOR FREEDOMS Lawn Signs

WHAT IS A FOR FREEDOMS LAWN SIGN EVENT? WHY? At these events, participants are encouraged to produce and publicly display their The Four Freedoms outlined by FDR and Norman Rockwell began to articulate the own definition of freedom by filling out signs that say human right to freedom, but the articulation of those freedoms did not apply to everyone. The lawn signs allow every participant to define freedom in their own way • Freedom Of ____ and articulate a vision of freedom that contains multitudes. • Freedom From _____ • Freedom For ______• Freedom To______

HOW TO DO IT • Download the sign designs (Adobe Illustrator fileshere ) • Find a printer of either lawn signs or posters • Order signs, sharpie markers, and mounting hardware • Hold a public event and invite people who attend to fill out the signs • Find a lawn and put them in the ground (or a wall to hang them on)

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 17 LAWN SIGNS Examples

For Freedoms Lawn Signs Bayete Ross Smith and Stuart Sheldon x For Freedoms Brooklyn Museum, 2016 , 2016

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 18 The For Freedoms Network

Artists We Have Worked With 2016-2018 Ahron Weiner Cristina Velasquez Jasmine Clarke Mark Tribe Sam O'Neill Aida Muluneh Daesha Devón Harris Jay Turner Frey Seawell Marshall Reese Samara Gaev Albert James Ignacio Dan Farnum Jean-Christian Bourcart Marta Kosiorek Sandra Chen Weinstein Daniel Evan Rodriguez Jemima Kirke Mary Beth Meehan Shane Rocheleau Alejandro Cartagena Daniel Shea Jenny Brover Matthew Day Jackson Shimon Attie Alex Bell Danna Singer Jeremy Dean Matthew Hamon Sohrab Hura Alfredo Jaar David Rothenberg Jess Ingram Maureen Drennan Sophia Keleta Ignacio Allison Stewart Debi Cornwall Jess T. Dugan Michael Joseph Soumya Sankar Bose Amy Adler Deborah Willis Jim Goldberg Michele Pred Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa Andrea Bowers Demetris Koilalous Jim Ricks Stephen Duncombe Andres Serrano Domingo Borges Joaquin Palting Mike Fernandez Stephen Joyce Angie Smith Jon Henry Mike Osborne Steven Trent Smith Anya Ayoung Chee Edgar Arceneaux Jon Santos Mikhael Subotzky Stuart Sheldon Argus Paul Estabrook Emily Jacir Jordan Reznick Millee Tibbs Susan Barnett Ashley Gates Emily Yang Myriam Abdelaziz Tariku Shiferaw Bayeté Ross Smith Emma Sulkowicz Kambui Olujimi Nari Ward Titus Kaphar Baz Dreisinger Eric Gottesman Kameelah Janan Rasheed Nina Chanel Abney Todd Webb Beau Rhee Esa Nickel Kamoinge Nora Ligorano Travis Somerville Ben Schonberger EverydayClimateChange Katrina Walker Noritaka Minami Trevor Paglen Betsy MacLean Firelei Báez Ke Peng Norman Rockwell Wendy Ewald Brian Ulrich Francesca Magnani Kerry Alan Skarbakka Omar Imam Will Steacy Brittany M. Powell Fred Tomaselli KevinCharityFair Pablo Helguera WRRQ Caran Hartsfield Gary Burnley Kris Graves Paula Crown Wyatt Gallery Carrie Mae Weems Gerard Gaskin Lacy Austin Perri Hoffmann Xavi Bou Cassils Gigi Gatewood Lali Khalid Phil Roeder Charlene Carruthers Glenn Kaino Lawrence Tribe Piece of Cake Yorgo Alexopoulos Cheryl Pope Hank Willis Thomas Leslie Wayne Rashid Johnson Yosi Sergant Chip Southworth Harm Weistra Lili Holzer-Glier Rashida Bumbray Zoë Buckman Chitra Ganesh Hector Rene Lisa K. Blatt Rawi'ya Zoë Charlton Chris Berntsen Holly Lynton Mara Sánchez-Renero Reverend Sekou and The Seal Chris Myers Inbal Abergil Marc McAndrews Breakers Christine Wong-Yap Invisible Borders Marcus DeSieno Rhea Karam Claire Beckett Jackie Nickerson Maria Gaspar Richard Misrach Coby Kennedy Jamilah King Mariam Ghani Rosa White Corinne May Botz Jared Thorne Marilyn Minter Rujeko Hockley

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 20 Institutional Collaborators

Institutions We Have Worked With 2016-2018 Afropunk Hyperallergic New York University Anderson Ranch The International Center of Photography Performa Art Africa Miami Into Action Pier 24 Artsy Jack Shainman Gallery Planned Parenthood Arts in Ad Places The Joyce Foundation Postcards From America Aspen Art Museum Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Prison-to-College Pipeline Aperture Foundation Kickstarter Project Row Houses Bowdoin College LaGuardia Community College Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art Brooklyn Museum Magnum Foundation Spotify Creative Time The Metropolitan Museum of Art Summit Co Creative Capital The Mistake Room SVT KOBRA Center for Artistic Activism MOCA Cleveland Triangle Arts Association City Club of Cleveland MoMA Truthwork Theater Company Crowdpac MoMA PS1 Univision Edition Hotels Monique Meloche Gallery University of Louisville EXPO Chicago MTV Vassar College Flux Projects Museum of Fine Arts Boston W Magazine Houston Center for Photography Neuehouse Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden New York Live Arts

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 22 FOR FREEDOMS O ur Team

OUR TEAM is you and we are your team. FOR FREEDOMS is a platform for civic engagement, discourse, and direct action for artists. 50 STATE INQUIRIES: [email protected] Founded in January 2016, For Freedoms strives to GENERAL INQUIRIES: [email protected] model how art and discourse can urge communities into greater civic action and participation. Our mission is to blur the line between artistic and political discourse, to increase civic engagement, and to encourage open, nuanced dialogue in a partisan climate. We are a network for artists and arts institutions to become more engaged with the current political system in the United States.

50 STATE INITIATIVE • TOOLKIT 26 Thank You