In a nation seemingly more divided than ever, an anonymous artist is aiming for unity. “Everybody” billboards are popping up all over “America’s heartland.” As many as 18 billboards with the theme have gone up in places like New York, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and even as far west as Nevada.
According to the artist’s publicist Emily Spitale, those states weren’t chosen at random, they were chosen for their location. “As it is a line that cuts across our country, both dividing and uniting us like a stitch across the quilt of America,” Spitale wrote in an email to artnet News, “by placing them along this line, the art is meant to remind us of the amazing variation across our country, cities, mountains, fields, and desert. The art, with its one word, shows that there is a commonality that runs through our country, and that’s the spirit of the American people.”
The background designs are as diverse as the locations, some have a landscape scene, while others are brightly colored abstract art. But the forefront message is all the same…the word “Everybody” scrolled across the billboard. The artist says the designs are meant to “spark conversation and invite participation” with their uplifting message.
The campaign started on Instagram, where the artist has shared images of the billboards in progress. Those images were geotagged as being here in Atlanta. A statement from the artist on the campaign’s official website states, “We need surprises that are good. Not something in our feed, but in our fields. To drive by, not scroll through. We need something to feel. A thing to wonder, not to worry, about. Something that reminds us that out of many, we are one, and that we are EVERYBODY.” The artist would like to remain anonymous because “it isn’t about them, it’s about everybody.”
Images from the campaign can be found on Instagram under the hashtags, #everybodypaintings, #everybodybillboards, #weareeverybody.