For Freedoms

For Freedoms was founded in 2016 by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman (along with collaborators Michelle Woo and Wyatt Gallery) as a response to rising political polarization in the United States. Named after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms,” the collective reimagines what his democratic ideals mean today by placing art at the center of public dialogue. It began as the first artist-run Super PAC, using advertising spaces like billboards to prompt civic conversations, rather than campaign slogans. Early on, For Freedoms launched town-hall meetings and gallery exhibitions exploring issues of freedom, justice, and civic identity.

In 2018, For Freedoms organized the 50 State Initiative, billed as “the largest creative collaboration in US history,” which commissioned political art billboards in all 50 states ahead of the midterm elections. These billboards— bearing messages and imagery by diverse artists— invited communities nationwide to reflect on values like equality, voting, and representation. For Freedoms also engages the public through art installations, community workshops, and media campaigns, always aiming to deepen civic participation. By merging art and activism, the collective creates what co-founder Thomas calls “a decentralized space for connection,” empowering people to discuss and shape their democracy through creativity.

City

New York

Country

United States

Region

N. America

Year of Creation

2016

Featured Project

50 State Billboard Initiative (2018)

For Freedoms’ 50 State Initiative was an unprecedented nationwide public art campaign during the lead-up to the 2018 US midterms. The project enlisted over 300 artists to design thought-provoking billboards in every state, D.C., and Puerto Rico, replacing commercial ads with messages about democracy, justice, and freedom. From bold text statements to striking visual art, these billboards– complemented by local town halls and exhibitions– encouraged civic reflection and dialogue on a massive scale, making it “the largest-ever public art project in the US”.

DOCUMENT: “For Freedoms launches billboard campaign […]”

Resources

Articles:

Beckenstein, Joyce. “Hank Willis Thomas & For Freedoms: Another Justice: US is Them.” The Brooklyn Rail, Oct. 2022, https://brooklynrail.org/2022/10/artseen/Hank-Willis-Thomas-For-Freedoms-Another-Justice-US-is-Them/.

Diehl, Travis. “Artists Tried to Activate Voters With Billboard Art. Did It Work?.” The New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/arts/design/artists-tried-to-activate-voters-with-billboard-art-did-it-work.html.

Greenberger, Alex. “For Freedoms Billboard with MAGA Slogan Removed in Montgomery Amid Controversy.” ARTnews, 30 Jan. 2025, https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/for-freedoms-hank-willis-thomas-billboard-removed-montgomery-maga-slogan-selma-1234731233/.

“Hank Willis Thomas releases new Artspace and For Freedoms edition Twilight’s Last Gleaming, 2024.” Artspace, 18 Oct. 2024, https://www.artspace.com/collections/art-for-sale-limited-edition-silkscreen-by-hank-willis-thomas/hank-willis-thomas-releases-new-artspace-and-for-freedoms-edition-twilights-last-gleaming-2024.

Nayyar, Rhea. “Why Is For Freedoms Designing Art for a New Brooklyn Jail? [UPDATED].” Hyperallergic, 14 May 2025, https://hyperallergic.com/1012486/why-is-for-freedoms-designing-art-for-a-new-brooklyn-jail/.

Sayej, Nadja. “Fifty billboards: an art project hopes to provoke debate across America.” The Guardian, 9 Jul. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jul/09/fifty-billboards-an-art-project-hopes-to-provoke-debate-across-america.

Audio/Video:

“For Freedoms Newsreel #1.” Uploaded by For Freedoms to YouTube, 9 May 2023, https://youtu.be/wA2WFnVouw8?si=Pf9jHh1z5aH24Lng.

“Politics and Art Collide to Form Super PAC.” npr, 5 Aug. 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/08/05/488878191/politics-and-art-collide-to-form-super-pac.

Interviews:

Adrian-Diaz, Jenna. “Hank Willis Thomas Speaks on the Work That Remains.” Surface, 22 Sep. 2023, https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/hank-willis-thomas-medal-of-arts-2023-interview/.

Bailey, Spencer. “Hank Willis Thomas on Acknowledging the Multitudes of Truths Among Us.” Time Sensitive, Slowdown Media, 17 Nov. 2022, https://timesensitive.fm/episode/hank-willis-thomas-on-acknowledging-the-multitudes-of-truths-among-us/.

Farber, Paul. “For Freedoms Across 50 States with Artist Hank Willis Thomas.” Monument Lab, 1 Oct. 2018, https://monumentlab.com/podcast/for-freedoms-across-50-states-with-artist-hank-willis-thomas.

Goldstein, Andrew. “‘History Is Waiting to Be Told’: Hank Willis Thomas on How Artists Can Reshape the Narrative of the United States in Real Time.” artnet, 14 Jul. 2020, https://news.artnet.com/the-big-interview/hank-willis-thomas-interview-art-angle-1893389.

More Information

forfreedoms.org

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