Happy Halloween!

Never Let Them Take It From You by Sam Heimer. Photo by Luna Park.

Who else, but Sam Heimer, could we possibly celebrate Halloween with? He has, as far as we know, more love for the holiday than anyone should reasonably have, and that's just right for us. And, as we often do, we could make some comparison to what they think about their work to public space. But today isn't about art or ads or politics. Today is about celebrating a holiday, and Sam does this particular holiday better than anyone.

Here's what he told us:

"I’ve always had a soft spot for Halloween, and as the years pass I find lessons in the holiday that are more important now than ever. With the world on fire, it’s pretty easy to forget about the magic around us, about that fact that every innovation we have is a fine blend of cultural sharing, borrowing and at times stealing, that the veil between life and death is all too thin and we should celebrate both (life and death) while able, that we should be looking for guidance from those who went before us and got it right, and that the harvest, while rarely seen, is more important and frail now than ever. In the face of hardship and coming darkness, we used to light fires, feast, sing and dance, and revel in parlor tricks and games surrounded by our community. Now we just rant on Facebook and become more numb, scared, and distant."

Never Let Them Take It From You by Sam Heimer. Photo by Luna Park.

Our Bodies Are Like the Land, but Can Public Space Be Like Us?

Dandelion by Beyon Wren Moor. Photo by Luna Park.

Time sure flies when you're making mischief... We've got less than 10 installations left this year. Soon, we'll wrap up this iteration of Art in Ad Places and try to figure out what comes in 2018. But first, we have Dandelion by Beyon Wren Moor.

She told us, "My name is beyon wren moor (she/they), i'm a two-spirit Cree and Ukrainian artist and land defender from northern manitoba currently living on occupied Pocumtuck territory. My art and my life are dedicated to the fight for indigenous sovereignty and to the land. this piece is about queer love and queer earth and was created as part of a fundraiser for my friend, a two-spirit, Nahua person named Xóchítl Pāpalōtl Ramírez's medical recovery fund. 'sometimes we are empty because our presence fills the earth and that too is a blessing,' is something they said once. the phrase filled my spirit with this imagery. I like to imagine all of the different ways that our bodies are like the land."

As populations concentrate more and more in cities, and away from traditional conceptions of the land, how do we maintain that relationship that ties us to land, but also to other people? One way is through opportunities to participate in and change public space. It may not be quite like being connected to the earth, but feeling connected to the spaces we travel through is a good first step. Unfortunately, those opportunities are increasingly few and far between. Public space is often privately controlled and, as a result, unlike the people who exist in it. It can take acts of mischief to regain those chances for engagement.

The artist Evan Roth used to assign his students to carry a permanent ink marker, the kind graffiti writer use, with them at all times. Not because he wanted them to necessary start tagging everything in sight, but because there was power that came with the possibility of tagging everything in sight. It's a good exercise. If you don't feel like getting the gear to do your own ad takeovers, at least pick up a marker, carry it around with you for a few days, and see how it makes you feel about public space. Maybe you'll feel a bit more connected to the spaces you inhabit and the people you inhabit them with.

Dandelion by Beyon Wren Moor. Photo by Luna Park.

The Feminist Mountain Man

Feminist Mountain Man by Rebecca Morgan. Photo by Luna Park.

The world is a strange place, full of a diverse range of people. Nobody quite fits into one box, as much as advertising professionals would love that. This week's piece by Rebecca Morgan is a sort of beacon, a shout out to those liberals feminist dudes who don't "look like" liberal feminist dudes. It's also, for us at Art in Ad Places, a bit of a nod to our friends at Resistance Is Female, who have also been installing some great ad takeovers this year.

Morgan told us, "As an artist and human, I find that I am often stopped in my tracks or left considering an image, experience or interaction just by paying attention and being present, looking around and synthesizing my surroundings; it is often the impetus for my art and can inform or change my perspective. I was happy to use Feminist Mountain Man for this project, as it is my hope that encountering this image as a surprise and as an unexpected image might be that catalyst for others, or offer a moment of repose, humor or relief from the often unrelenting cultural and personal cerebral froth that exists on a daily basis. I made this portrait with the thought and hope that someone from the rural, where I grew up, could maintain aspects of their rural identity and also be open minded and supportive of other ideas. A dream neighbor. I hope dream neighbors will become more of a reality for myself, the nation and the world."

Dream neighbors. Across border and stereotypes. What an idea... This time last year, we were getting ready to launch Art in Ad Places. We'd told the artists and our friends it was coming. But then the election hit us like a ton of bricks, and we decided it best to delay. It's been an insane time for this country. Let's just hope that Rebecca's dream becomes a reality. A few feminist mountain men out there might help us all bridge some deep divides.

Feminist Mountain Man by Rebecca Morgan. Photo by Luna Park.

Searching for Empathy

Artwork by Faith XLVII. Photo by Luna Park.

Empathy. It's just about the last thing you can expect to find in an advertisement. Unless it's the phony empathy of "I see you. I see you're hurting. You deserve to not hurt. I can help you (for the right price)." But openness to a conversation with a perceived enemy, risking the physical or emotional safety of staying in your own bubble, that's radical empathy. It's rare, and it's what Faith XLVII proposes this week in her Art in Ad Places installation.

Faith XLVII said, "The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire. It signifies to all that an approaching negotiator is unarmed, with a desire to communicate. This symbol urges the move towards reasoning and empathy in time of increased polarity and ignorance. I find the mass presence of advertising in our everyday lives stifling and support Art in Ad Places in its attempt to replace these spaces with art in order to have more meaningful interactions with each other."

Art, especially public art, allows us to build communities of understanding across society's traditional boundaries. But first, we have to be open to the experience. Watch a New Yorker walk through a crowded street. They can't be open to that experience. Just to walk at a reasonable pace often can require putting on headphones and trying to tune out everyone and everything around you. Part of what needs to be tuned out are the billboards advertising crap. Brands are always trying to find new ways to grab your attention, and in response we have to try harder to tune them out. It's an arms race over attention. Remove all the ads, give the city a few more empty spaces and a few more spaces to create community through art, and we could all relax (just a little bit) and build empathy as we move through the city. What a better city that would be.

Artwork by Faith XLVII. Photo by Luna Park.

Wealth, Power, and Culture

Artwork by the Guerrilla Girls. Photo by Luna Park.

This week has been a bit of a dream, installing the work of some of our heroes and inspirations, the Guerrilla Girls. In case you don't know, they say, "The Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous group of activist artists who have devoted our lives to fighting for ALL human rights and against the takeover of art and culture by the rich and powerful. Most of our work has been about discrimination and corruption in art, but we have also examined other issues like film, pop culture, gender stereotypes, war, and income inequality."

The issues that the Guerrilla Girls have spent decades tackling in the art world are some of the same that we have been trying to address in advertising through Art in Ad Places: Sexism, wealth, power, and how those things influence culture and society at large.

So this week we installed a few identical Guerrilla Girls posters near major NYC museums. We hope they'll catch the attention of visitors and staff alike, and get them to consider their museum experience more critically, maybe even work towards a new kind of museum and culture of art.

Artwork by the Guerrilla Girls. Photo by Luna Park.