Austin Free Art Friday #atxfaf

 

“Artwork placed on the street for any member of the public to enjoy and take home — go on, make someone’s day! […] The concept of Free Art Friday has many strands. For the artist it is an opportunity to create work free from the constraints of commerce, to voice an idea, shout a political message or just amuse and confuse the viewer. […] The act of removing the work intrigues. Almost an act of situationist art itself. Is there guilt? Why is it taken? […] All street artists whether producing static or removable art hope to promote discussion in one form or other. ‘Talk about me and my work’, ‘Question the images thrown at you’ or ‘Use your political power.’”

– MyDogSighs, credited as the originator of the FreeArtFriday movement

 

ATX Free Art Friday takes place in Austin, Texas, primarily on Instagram. @roshi_k (a member of the SprATX collective) is accredited for introducing the free art movement idea to Austin, TX. After putting a piece of art out, Roshi’s photo of the hidden art was reposted to SprATX’s Instagram under the hashtag #atxfreeartfriday. The excitement of searching for the hidden art resulted in many artists and art hunters following suit using the same hashtag while the event gained momentum, accumulating over 12,000 tags over the years. SprATX hosted the event every Friday on its social media, promoting over 500 works of art generously donated by local artists.

Follow along using the hashtags #atxfaf and #atxfreeartfriday. For more information on the origins of ATX Free Art Friday, email info@atxfreeartfriday.com.

I want to give free art

Great! We’re excited to have you participate in our community art project! All art is welcome- all styles, skill levels, and mediums. To see examples how it works, search the hashtags #atxfaf and/or #atxfreeartfriday.

1) PREPARE ART: Create a piece of art for gifting and attach the following instructions: “Congrats! You are participating in #ATXFreeArtFriday. Complete the process by claiming you have found the piece on Instagram using #atxfaf and/or #atxfreeartfriday and posting that you found it.”

2) HIDE ART: Find a great (safe!) place to hide it somewhere in the city on Friday. Post visual clues to where your piece is hiding on Instagram. 

Once your art is found, please comment on any posts that you’ve made to report that your piece has been found. This helps the game function smoothly and allows art hunters move on with their art adventure.

Did you find free art?

Congrats! This piece of art is yours to keep, all you need to do is claim it! You can do that by leaving a “found it” comment on the artist’s Instagram post, and upload a photo of the art to your own Instagram with the hashtags #atxfaf and/or #atxfreeartfriday. Please thank the artist in your post by @tagging them!  (Your account must be public for others to see your post.) Claiming art is a very important part of the process for artists and others searching for this art. We appreciate you helping us keep the free art spirit alive!!

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