Messages for the City

For Freedoms Artists: Paula Crown, Nekisha Durrett, Alixa Garcia, G.O.N.G., Jenny Holzer, Christine Sun Kim, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Pedro Reyes, Duke Riley, Xaviera Simmons, Carrie Mae Weems, Christine Wong Yap

Poster House and PRINT Magazine Designers: Ola Baldych, Seymour Chwast, Pablo Delcan, Matt Dorfman, Milton Glaser, Jessica Hische, Joe Hollier, Mirko Ilić, Maira Kalman, John Kudos, Ross MacDonald, Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon, Richard McGuire, Pablo Medina, Debbie Millman, Emily Oberman and Lorenzo Fanton, Gemma O’Brien, Edel Rodriguez, Paul Sahre, Paula Scher and Jeff Close, Strick&Williams, Klaas Verplancke, Zipeng Zhu

Times Square Arts, Poster House, Print Magazine, and For Freedoms have launched a citywide public art campaign featuring artist-designed PSAs and messages of love, gratitude, and solidarity with New York City’s health care and essential workers.

While images of an empty Times Square have become emblematic of how swiftly public life has shifted amidst this global crisis, the streets of New York City are not in fact empty. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers head to work each day to sustain our city, from healthcare professionals, city workers, sanitation staff, grocery store and bodega employees, delivery people, and more.

Radiating out from the screens of Times Square to the digital billboards above Lincoln Tunnel and nearly 1800 LinkNYC kiosks across all five boroughs, the initiative turns our city’s digital displays into platforms of public service and appreciation through the lens of established and emerging graphic designers and visual artists from around the world.

The initial phase, launched on April 17, 2020, features work by over two dozen celebrated designers from around the world, all rallied by Poster House and PRINT Magazine. Phase two, beginning May 15, 2020, highlights the work of emerging and established visual artists and is led by For Freedoms, an artist collective dedicated to creative civic engagement, discourse, and direct action.

A rotating display of designs will be on view in Times Square on an ongoing basis at the 15, 30, and 45- minute marks throughout each day. The digital spaces for this citywide initiative have been generously donated by 20 Times Square and Maefield Development, American Eagle, Branded Cities, Morgan Stanley, Silvercast Lincoln Tunnel, and LinkNYC.

Pedro Reyes Benefit Print for New York Immigration Coalition

As an extension of this campaign and in solidarity with New York’s nearly 2 million immigrant workers, Times Square Arts, For Freedoms, and Poster House are launching a new limited edition benefit print by Pedro Reyes, produced by Brooklyn Editions. Net proceeds from the sales of Reyes’ print will be donated to The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), the advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York. In response to this crisis, NYIC has launched the #NYunitedFund to help ensure the health and safety of New York’s immigrants on the frontlines.

This print is currently sold out.

For Freedoms Artists:

Poster House and PRINT Magazine Designers: