After being awarded the TED Prize in 2011, JR launched the Inside Out Project as an experiment. Using his own artistic practice as inspiration, the participatory art platform helps communities to make a statement by displaying large-scale black and white portraits in public spaces. The Project was designed to only last one year, but through the dedication and enthusiasm of participants around the world, Inside Out is now the largest participatory art project in the world. More than half a million people have participated in the Project, adding their portrait to Actions in over 150 countries and territories.
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Actions
A Group Action is when people come together to create their own public art installation in a location of their choice. Participants take portraits of community members who stand behind their message. The Inside Out team then transforms these portraits into larger-than-life black-and-white posters that are sent to the community to be pasted in a public space. Actions have revolved around topics of feminisms, diversity, racism, climate change, children's rights, and so much more. All installations are documented and shared online, giving these local messages a global impact.
Photobooths allow the public to participate in an Action instantly and for free. Participants take their portrait in the booth and within minutes, a black and white poster prints out the side of the Photobooth. Posters are pasted in a nearby public space, creating an artwork with the faces of the participants. Over 270,000 people have stepped into the Photobooths. As an exciting and accessible artistic intervention, the booths have educated the public and sparked conversations about voter registration, immigration policy, the issue of misinformation, and so much more.
Actions are a natural tool for educators and students to explore subjects in a playful and engaging way. Since 2022, Education Actions have made up more than half of all Group Actions. With the support of educators, Inside Out has developed a curriculum and other resources to help Group Leaders create Actions that fit their unique educational setting. From the start of Inside Out in 2011, over 8,000 students in over 450 schools have discovered public art and used their voice to speak up about issues they care about through the project.
Inside Out prides itself on making art accessible to all. The vast majority of Group Actions are fully subsidized by the Project, meaning that no matter what resources a community has, they can bring art to their streets. Whether it be a refugee community in the Sahara Desert or a public school in New York City, cost is never a barrier for participation. Help us grow the Inside Out Project and continue sharing people’s stories through works of public art.
