The Dallas Museum of Art is teaming up with four museums -- the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Whitney Museum of American Art -- to take part in "the largest outdoor art show ever conceived."
But how big are we talking here?
Try every state, from coast-to-coast. The project is called Art Everywhere, and the idea is simple: to take American art out of the galleries and into your neighborhood. Starting in August, 50 works of American art from the five museums will be on display on up to 50,000 public spaces like billboards, buses, and subways across the country.
Art Everywhere made its debut last year in the United Kingdom, showcasing British Art. But DMA director Max Anderson says there’s something special about the American version.
“We’re a nation of immigrants, so we have the beauty and the extraordinary breadth and variety of talent, imagination, cultural influences that inform a nation of a third of a billion people," Anderson says.
And in true American fashion, deciding which art will go up will be a democratic process – voting takes place online.
Starting Monday, people can visit ArtEverywhereUS.org to vote on the art they’d like to see in their neighborhood. There are over 100 nominated works up for vote, including those by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Georgia O'Keefe, and more. It'll include not only paintings, but photographs, multimedia works, and decorative objects.
"It's kind of like American Idol or The Voice," says Anderson. "You can go in and make your voice heard."
The final 50 works will be revealed on Aug. 4 in Times Square.
Watch Art Everywhere's U.K. launch below:
