Four local art museums have invited Tampa Bay to get involved with public art installations, exhibitions and discussions that encourage civic engagement, dialogue and direct action. Their work is part of a nonpartisan platform called 50 State Initiative, developed by For Freedoms.
Founded in 2016 by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman, For Freedoms addresses questions about the connection between culture and civic life through art — billboards or otherwise — and town hall meetings. The group’s national 50 State Initiative aims to do the same with a large network of art institutions, artists and community leaders.
Sarasota’s John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art has participated in the initiative by installing Vote and Continue to Dream, a billboard from contemporary artist Carrie Mae Weems. It’s located at the corner of U.S. 301 and State Road 70 between SRQ and Bradenton.
The Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Pete is up next. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, the museum will provide yard signs and supplies to regionites who’d like to express what freedom means to them while channeling their inner artist with the materials. The MFA then plans to display each completed sign on its lawn.
During the event, the League of Women Voters will offer on-site voter registration services to eligible Florida residents with a valid driver’s license or ID card.
“The MFA is a safe space dedicated to the thoughtful exchange of ideas,” said MFA executive director Kristen Shepherd in a statement. “Museums provide a place for us to have conversations that help us better understand each other, even when we are different or when we disagree. With this in mind, we encourage all members of the community to participate in this event.”
Other events for 50 State Initiative are coming to the USF Contemporary Art Museum and Tampa Museum of Art. The TMA Youth Council will select up to 40 works for a teen art exhibition running from Friday, Oct. 26, to Monday, Nov. 26, at the museum, while USF CAM is set to organize lawn sign activations during the Tampa campus’s Bull Market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, and Wednesday, Oct. 24.
This article appears in Oct 4-11, 2018.