Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942
© The Art Institute of Chicago, Friends of American Art Collection.
A nationwide movement celebrating America's artistic legacy may soon be coming to a city near you. Beginning August 4, 2014, Art Everywhere US will kick off a new campaign transforming billboards, shopping malls, movie theaters, subway stations, and more into a free, open-air exhibition in cities around the country. In April, the public was invited to vote for their favorite works of American art to be included in the exhibition, and 58 artworks were selected in an official presentation in June. The artwork receiving the most votes was Nighthawks by Edward Hopper (pictured above).
For the month of August, Art Everywhere US will be installed on as many as 50,000 displays, both static and digital, in all 50 states. In a launch event held in New York's Times Square, digital billboards will display all 58 of the selected works, which come from the collections of the initiative's five organizing museums: the Art Institute of Chicago, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930
© Estate of Grant Wood. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Maxwell L. Anderson, director of the Dallas Museum of Art and the campaign spokesman, stated, "Art Everywhere US is giving our museums the ability to reach a vast new audience in a fresh and entirely accessible way. We're literally changing the American landscape with art, and offering people everywhere the opportunity to learn about America's artistic treasures, past and present."
Beyond educating the public about the breadth and variety of American art, Anderson also hopes the campaign will provide people with a greater sense of familiarity with art, making museums seem more accessible and inviting. "The American public is growing up in a context in which art is kept imprisoned in buildings... There are so many proscriptions on the experience of art in a public institution that it's intimidating to people," he said. "[Art] isn't something we need to limit to the interiors of climate-controlled, secure museums. I hope that [people] will consider the ways in which creativity can find a voice in all sorts of contexts in American life."
Visit www.arteverywhereus.org to explore an interactive art gallery with more information about the selected works, where they will be exhibited, and a history of American art.
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