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Arts & Entertainment

Billboards Only <em>Briefly</em> Reclaimed by Artists


By

Jen Carlson

Published Apr 27, 2009

Modified Apr 27, 2009


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By

Jen Carlson

Published Apr 27, 2009

Modified Apr 27, 2009


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Over the weekend the Public Ad Campaign organized a massive takeover of some billboard space around Manhattan, where only one whitewashing team was arrested. While the new non-commercial public canvases looked vibrant throughout the day, by the next they were reclaimed by The Man. Luckily it was all well documented. You can check out further images at AnimalNY, Wooster Collective, cronicasbarbaras and Flickr.

To recap, the overall goal was to target the over 500 NPA outdoor street level billboards, spread out throughout the city and varying in size. Allegedly all of those advertising structures are illegal according to the NYC Department of Buildings, who have no permits for the NPA outdoor structures. The purpose of this project was to shed light on the illegal nature of the ad structures and generate a discussion on how they can better be used. Do you think the temporary works were effective in making a statement?

Tagged

ad

billboards

npa

Public ad campaign

street art


Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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