"The goal is simple: On BLACK FRIDAY (Nov. 28th, 2014) I want every artist on this entire planet to drop one piece of free art that they've created to be placed somewhere on the street of their community for a random stranger to find, pick up, take home and love.
Here in the United States of America, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, Nov. 27th. We spend the day with family, friends and loved ones giving thanks for everything in our life we have to be thankful for.
On the following day a.k.a. BLACK FRIDAY (the day after we've given thanks for everything we have in life), we rush out in an uncivilized manner trampling complete strangers to death so we can buy a DVD player for five bucks. This is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but you get the gist of it.
That being said, I want all of us to come together as artists and set aside the fact that you think your work is worth millions of dollars and do a random act of kindness on the one day of the year that I believe it matters most. It's one day. One piece of art. It's currently Sept. 13th. You all have over two months to think about your piece of art, prep it and execute your creativity. There should be no excuses on anyone's behalf.
Last year, this act/event created quite a stir. We made headlines in many local newspapers and when all was said and done, I had 2,600+ individual artists drop art on every continent on this planet. Art was dropped in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 different countries. I expect this year to be even MORE organized, more established and I expect all of us to absolutely crush last year's amazing act of kindness. I don't care if you paint, photograph, knit, sew, weld, sculpt or crochet. Whatever it is that art means to you is fair game.
If you want to be a part of something amazing. Something positive. Something that matters. Something that will truly make a difference in someone else's life... now is your chance.
Join the group. Join the event. Like it and share it 'til you can't possibly share it anymore. And when you think you've shared it enough, then share it again."
WHAT YOU COULD DO?
** EXAMPLE / THE TAG! **
"I'll keep this pinned. Most of you are asking the same questions which is completely fine. I'm hoping this post helps all of you, but as always - if you have ANY questions or concerns or need something addressed, do not hesitate to contact me. I'm here to help.
Do I leave a note with my art? YES. The tag helps the general public determine your art was not dropped by accident or litter or decoration, etc, etc. See photos below. This is probably the most common question. This is typically how I drop my art when doing so for my Free Art Friday - Wisconsin page. I obtained these very gaudy "SALE" price tags on eBay. On the front of the tag, I write "I'M FREE!" or "TAKE ME HOME!" or "I'M YOURS!" or any other variation of that. Make a tag. Find a tag. Print one out. Do whatever it is that would be best for your piece of art. This is merely an example of mine.
On the BACK of the tag last year, I typed out a note on my computer, printed it out, cut it out and used packing tape to secure it to the tag as well as protect it. The note on the back read: "CONGRATULATIONS! You've found a piece of art! It's free! No joke! I'm participating in a global event called "FLOOD the streets with ART! (part II) organized by Scott Wong in Wisconsin. If you could take a moment to e-mail me at: scottwong@zoho.com and/or check-in at http://tinyurl.com/theflood02 and let me know you found my art - that would be great! Happy Holidays and Happy Black Friday! - scott."
Obviously, you're free to write what you want. You can make YOUR tag however you'd like this. Feel free to use any variation you'd like. If you want to leave your personal info, cool. If not, that's also fine. The choice is yours.
Many, many, many people got hung up last year about people NOT checking in to let them know their art was found. I'm here to tell you I've been doing Free Art Friday off and on for the last two years. To date, I've dropped 98 pieces of free art on the streets of my community. I can hardly count on one hand how many times someone has contacted me to let me know my art was found. Why, you ask? There are numerous variables. Perhaps they don't have Internet? Perhaps they hate social media? Maybe they're severely introverted? Maybe they're on the run? I'm joking here, but my point being - do not get wrapped on the fact that you did not get a response advising your art was found. IF you're more concerned with a pat on the back, an at'ta boy and high praises for your good deed... this probably isn't something for you. But IF you want to do something amazing this holiday season expecting absolutely nothing in return, then welcome aboard.
The shortened URL above: http://tinyurl.com/theflood02 IS legitimate and accurate. I just created it and tested it. That will direct the individual to the official group page (please join if you haven't already!):https://www.facebook.com/groups/floodthestreetswithart/
Do NOT direct them to our "event" page (this page) as we discovered last year the event page will self-destruct after a particular amount of time has elapsed making it no longer accessible. We all lost a tremendous amount of data due to that oversight last year and I do NOT want to repeat that same error again this year.
I had several more questions asked of me last night and this morning sent in the form of PM's and e-mails and will sift through those and make another post later today. I am hoping this post clears up the "tag" issue and puts that to rest right away. If you have any questions, concerns or other issues that need to be addressed, please do not hesitate to contact me. My apologies in advance for the lengthy post."
