AIDS Memorial Quilt
Started in Atlanta, GA in 1985, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is the largest piece of community art across the globe. It’s comprised of nearly 50,000 individual panels. Each of them is handmade and dedicated to someone who has lost their lives to AIDS. When it was first created, the quilt was an outlet for families to remember the victims who were sometimes ostracized due to the illness.
The Before I Die Project
The concept of Before I Die was started by New Orleans resident Candy Chang after she lost a loved one. She pained the exterior wall of an abandoned building with chalkboard paint. Then, she stenciled, “Before I die I want to ________,” to encourage visitors to respond. This community art project has grown to nearly 500 walks across 30 countries.
Pianos About Town
The concept behind Pianos About Town in the city of Fort Collins, CO, is similar to community piano programs across the country. From May to October, several stand-up pianos are painted across the downtown area and other public spaces. People are not only invited to admire the work but also play something on these instruments.
Global Angel Wings
The Global Angel Wings Project was started by Los Angeles artist Colette Miller. She painted wings on abandoned buildings and other empty exterior spaces to remind people that they could be angels while still living on Earth. Today, these wings are painted on surfaces across the globe.
Urban Artworks
Based in Seattle, Urban Artworks is a program that inspires the city’s youth to create. It does this through after-school and summer programs staffed by other artists. The projects they’ve completed include the beautification of signal boxes through downtown Seattle.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a different type of community art project. Taking place online in November of each year, it encourages writers to complete a 50,000-word novel.