About the Exhibit
What does freedom mean to you?: Selections from Rutgers For Freedoms lawn sign event (On view at the Art Library, October 2-November 15, 2018)
From September 25-October 1, Voorhees Mall hosted the largest, interactive art installation at Rutgers. At this For Freedoms lawn sign event, organized by the Zimmerli Art Museum and Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA), students, staff, and faculty filled out lawn signs with their individual definitions of freedom and placed them among the hundreds that were displayed on the mall. This exhibition at the Art Library features some of the lawn signs that were on view, showcasing the diversity of voices in our community and encouraging you to consider “what does freedom mean to you?”
This event was part of the 50 State Initiative organized by For Freedoms, a platform for civic engagement, discourse, and direct action for artists in the United States. Inspired by Norman Rockwell’s 1943 paintings of the four universal freedoms articulated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941 — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear — For Freedoms seeks to use art to deepen public discussions of civic issues and core values, and to clarify that citizenship in American society is deepened by participation, not by ideology. Since 2016, For Freedoms has produced special exhibitions, town hall meetings, billboards, and lawn sign installations to spur greater participation in civic life. This year, the civic engagement platform launched its 50 State Initiative, a new phase of programming to encourage broad participation and inspire conversation around November’s midterm elections.
Come create your own For Freedoms sign
