Fine Art Moves Outdoors

In early August, one of the largest outdoor art shows ever conceived – Art Everywhere US – will take over 50,000 out-of-home sites across the US. Approximately 50 masterworks of American art from various museums’ collections will be installed on static and digital billboards, subway platforms and trains, and buses and bus shelters. And people across the country have an opportunity to help determine which artwork makes the final cut.

Based on last year’s Art Everywhere in the UK, the American version of this unique outdoor art fest is organized through a collaboration among five major museums: the Art Institute of Chicago, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the National Gallery of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Also supporting the show are the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), artists, estates, foundations, and numerous rights agencies.

Beginning April 7 at arteverywhereus.org, and continuing for a month, anyone can view 100 American artworks that have been nominated by the participating museums, then vote for the art he or she would most like to see reproduced outdoors. Artworks nominated by the five museums range in date from 1767 to 2008, and include paintings and photographs as well as works on paper, decorative objects, and multimedia works. The works span from John Singleton Copley’s Sarah Sherburne Langdon (1767) and Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (c. 1821) to Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930), Edward Hopper’s Early Sunday Morning (1930), and John Baldessari’s Wrong (1966-68). The final list of 50 artworks will be announced on June 20.

“The works you’ll see in Art Everywhere US tell the story of America, express our creativity, and reflect who we are – and this is our chance to make them a part of the American landscape, and everybody’s life,” says Maxwell L. Anderson, the Eugene McDermott director of the Dallas Museum of Art. “We hope Art Everywhere US will inspire all of us to learn more about America’s artistic treasures, past and present, and discover many more of the great works in our nation’s museums.”

“Art Everywhere US is the latest chapter, and perhaps the most spectacular, in our members’ long history of contributing their resources to public service,” says Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. “At OAAA, we are always mindful of our responsibility toward the spaces we share as citizens. We are thrilled that five extraordinary museums are now enabling us to make this unprecedented contribution to the public sphere by bringing America’s artistic heritage directly to the people.”

Art Everywhere US will also be live on a full range of social-media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. And there will be an interactive feature for mobile devices: Once the displays of artwork have been installed, users of the Blippar application will be able to access augmented-reality features through their smart phones, including more background information about the art shown and recordings designed to add to the understanding of each work.

ART EVERYWHERE US
www.arteverywhereus.org