You're probably familiar with the "Put a Bird On It" skit on Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein's hit IFC series, Portlandia. If you're not, you should be ashamed of yourself and sign in to Netflix immediately.
The artists of Miami Free Art Fridays and the Bird Road Art Walk have created a clever spin-off... well, sort of. Artists are creating works that incorporate a bird motif and dropping them at specific locations in the area for people to find. This past Friday was the second of four flighty installments.
"Crazy art projects can be an energy boost for artists' own work," says artist Jane Harris.
Besides, life's just better when you put birds on things.
Clues as to the locations of the drops get posted on the highly active Miami Free Art Fridays Facebook page. Art lovers then go hunting for birds, earning themselves a free piece by a local artist -- if they're the first to find it.
Making drops is not as easy as it may seem.
"I have a strong bond with my creation and to just leave it out there is hard. What if it gets thrown away, or mutilated, or ignored? That was my life lesson, that I'm responsible only for my side of the equation, do good work and give with good motives and whatever happens is fate," says artist Joan Futscher.
She continues, "The crazy fun, friendships, inspiration, and encouragement seem to be the inherent value of giving without expecting something in return. I'm a huge fan of Miami Free Art Fridays. Whether all groups are this fantastic I don't know, but I hope so."
But Free Art Fridays is more than just an art scavenger hunt.
"As an artist, I am interested in how people interact with art," explains artist MANO. "But the idea of encountering free art and claiming it is a particularly interesting concept, since we are programmed that nothing is free. Many people will walk by the art and not even notice it, but eventually someone does. What a rush for the ones who do look and step outside their comfort zone to claim the art."
The "Put a Bird On It" initiative takes place all month long. Hashtags for this month-long scavenger hunt are #putabirdonit #birdroadartdistrict and #miamifreeartfridays.
The "Put a Bird On It" scavenger hunt takes place June 21 and June 28. Visit MFAF's Facebook page for clues to drop locations.
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