In January 2016, artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman created the first artist-run political action committee (PAC), For Freedoms. Through this nonpartisan PAC, Thomas and Gottesman sought to use art to inspire deeper political engagement, inviting other artists to work with them on advertisements, exhibitions, and public meetings across the country that claimed political space for art. Rather than campaigning for or against any specific candidate or party, For Freedoms uses art to encourage discussions of core democratic values.
During the first 100 days of the new presidential administration, MoMA PS1 will host For Freedoms for an artist residency, which will evolve organically over the course of the project. The residency begins with the display of a billboard that For Freedoms created and posted in Mississippi during the election, and materials relating to its reception.
