50 States, 50 Billboards Favorite 

In 2018, For Freedoms commissioned billboards by artists across America ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

How can artists spark honest dialogue and reflection about issues that affect them locally and nationally? That’s the question For Freedoms, an artist-led nonprofit, wanted to answer with the 50 State Initiative. Guided by Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman, For Freedoms and 2,221 Kickstarter backers worked from coast to coast to install artwork along some of the most travelled roads in the world in every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

Their work didn’t stop there: partnering with over 220 institutions and museums, For Freedoms helped facilitate artist-led town halls and exhibitions to ask what local, state, and national issues need to be raised—and how artists and their communities can respond, take action, and plan ahead.

"Our goal is not to support a political party or push a partisan agenda, but to empower everyone across the United States to feel welcome in civic conversations."

—For Freedoms