by Jason Miller

Last Friday Inside Out: The People’s Art Project premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Jason Miller was there:

French artist JR started this project after winning the 2011 TED Prize, which awarded him $100,000 USD to use toward one wish to change the world.

I found this documentary and global art project very inspiring. JR’s Inside Out Project gets people involved in the actual street art process by having them wheat paste their own portraits outside in places they choose. The people are the artists, while JR assists them.

In a world where having your face on a wall is only known to happen if you’re a celebrity, model, politician, or wanted by the police, the Inside Out Project flips that around and gives everyday people a platform to not only be seen, but heard as well. For example, in Guyana 601 portraits show the eyes of Guyanese children who have witnessed acts of violent acts against their mothers, their sisters, or themselves. In Caracas, Venezuela 220 portraits show mothers who have lost a child because of violence.

Inside Out photo booth trucks bring printers to the street allowing the public to participate instantly and free of charge. Tens of thousands of portraits have been printed at truck photo booths located around the world. Over 100,000 posters have been sent in more than 108 countries since March 2011.

The documentary’s Executive Producer is Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder of Tribeca Productions Film Studios and co-organizer of the Tribeca Film Festival, both with actor Robert De Niro, and will be airing on HBO soon.

For more info, check http://www.insideoutproject.net/en

Inside Out Project in Israel:

Inside Out Project in Hong Kong: