Art Everywhere: Put Cultural Discovery Along an Everyday Route

Read the campaign story

Art Everywhere began in the United Kingdom in August 2013. Ocean Outdoor records an 8 August launch event and a planned 12 August nationwide rollout; JCDecaux’s September account corroborates the public display. Richard Reed, Art Fund, Tate and outdoor-industry partners brought publicly selected artworks to poster locations. Ocean also describes an optional phone-based route to information about the work and its original location.

A LACMA announcement documents the 2014 United States extension with five museums and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. That edition and subsequent UK activity remain one family here. Proposed display totals and projected exposure are not treated as verified engagement or museum attendance. The project’s public voting selected from a prepared set; it did not make the shortlist a representative survey of all artistic traditions.

Editorial interpretation: the project changes the order of a cultural journey. Instead of requiring a person to choose a museum before encountering an artwork, it offers an encounter during another activity. The location can lower the effort of discovery, but it also limits attention and context. A passer-by may have only a moment and may be unable or unwilling to use a phone. The artwork and its basic attribution therefore need to communicate without a second interaction.

Editorial interpretation: a collective selection process can give an exhibition a participatory story, while still relying on institutional choices. Those two contributions should be visible rather than blended into a claim that the public freely selected from everything. Curation, rights clearance and available formats shape the result before any vote occurs. Explaining that structure helps an audience understand both the invitation and its limits.

Design the first encounter for its actual setting

A poster beside a busy route is not a gallery wall. Consider viewing distance, dwell time, readability and whether the placement allows a safe pause. Keep essential attribution legible without requiring a scan. Avoid prompts that encourage people to use a device while moving through a hazardous environment. The first encounter should be complete enough to reward attention on its own, with additional information offered as a voluntary next step. Evaluate the physical setting rather than assuming that a beautifully designed file will work equally well everywhere.

Show where public choice begins and ends

If an audience votes, disclose who created the shortlist, which criteria shaped it and what the vote will determine. A preference among nominated works is not a mandate about the whole collection. Provide a non-voting way to explore the material so participation does not become a popularity contest. A small organisation can publish a short selection note that acknowledges gaps and practical constraints. Treat disagreements as useful evidence about interpretation and access, not as proof that voters lack taste or that a single winning work represents everyone.

Keep a clear path from reproduction to original

A public display should identify the artist, title and relevant collection while explaining that the image is a reproduction. Preserve the information when the work appears in different sizes or media. Where a next step is offered, make it useful: a concise interpretation, a collection page or practical visiting information. Do not require an account merely to learn what someone has seen. Rights clearance should cover the actual display and any digital extension, rather than assuming that public cultural value removes the need for permission.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a community arts centre could place three permission-cleared reproductions inside its own foyer, using a small selection agreed with the artists. Compare concise attribution alone with the same attribution plus an optional question and printed context card. Ask adult visitors who choose to pause what they understood and what they would want to know next. Keep voting separate and optional, without collecting contact details.

Measure correct artist attribution, comprehension of the selection process and voluntary use of the context cards. Distinguish people passing the display from those who noticed, interpreted or chose to learn more.

Stop if rights are incomplete, the placement obstructs movement, credits become unreadable or a popularity result is presented as representative public opinion.

• Check permitted reproduction sizes and credit wording.
• Use readable captions and a paper route to additional context.
• Record the placement conditions rather than estimating total public reach.