OUR AMERICA | FALL OF FREEDOM
THE CHALLENGE
As ICE's reported use-of-force incidents rose by 353% during the first two months of 2025, human rights investigations documented violent raids, racial discrimination, family separations, and abusive detention conditions. In response to this escalating violence and erosion of human rights, I created a painting that repeatedly declares Woody Guthrie's verse, "This land is your land. This land is my land."
When invited to participate in Fall of Freedom, I saw an opportunity to transform that anger into joyful, defiant creativity. The challenge was to turn a personal act of protest into a collective experience, placing the community at the center of the creative process.
THE WORK
Rather than simply expressing what I stood for and against, I wanted to bring people together to help shape the America we aspire to become. One where belonging is not determined by ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or immigration status, but recognized as something we all share.
Inviting the public to repeatedly write Woody Guthrie's verse, "This land is your land. This land is my land," each participant, young and old, contributes their unique handwriting to an evolving artwork, transforming individual gestures into a collective declaration of belonging.
Chalk was a deliberate artistic choice.
Its nostalgia invites participation, while its impermanence reflects the urgency and fragility of democratic expression. The artwork will eventually disappear, reminding us that freedom and belonging require constant care and participation.
THE ARTWORK
“Our America began as a primal howl.”
Growing up Catholic, I understood the practice of writing lines as punishment. Repeatedly copying the same sentence was an exercise in discipline and obedience.
The original painting reclaimed that experience, transforming an act of punishment into a ritual of presence.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
A series of promotional videos and static graphics introduced Our America and encouraged people to take part in the project.
A special video featuring musician Jeff Klein performing Woody Guthrie's song brought the project's central message to life, extending the invitation beyond the artwork itself.
A call-to-action video rallied the public to join the activation that day, building momentum around Fall of Freedom’s nationwide call.
THE ACTIVATION
In the center of downtown Brooklyn, Our America transformed Brooklyn Borough Hall into a communal canvas. Strangers became collaborators, writing side by side and transforming the familiar childhood act of writing with chalk into a visual record of inclusivity.
Presented as part of Fall of Freedom, the activation joined a nationwide movement using art as a form of creative resistance.
Our America gave that larger cultural moment a local and deeply human expression, creating space for people to publicly affirm who belongs in America.
The experience of working together became as important as the artwork itself. Each new participant changed the composition, creating unexpected moments of connection and a shared sense of authorship.
“By transforming public space into sites of shared authorship, Our America contributes to a broader movement using art to defend belonging, equity, and freedom of expression.”
Our America in Central Park on Oct 2nd
THE EVOLVING PROJECT
Following its May Day debut in Brooklyn, Our America continued its journey to Central Park on October 2 for the next Fall of Freedom call to action. The words “This land is your land, this land is my land” were written in French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Turkish.
At each activation, participants write the same words, yet no two contributions look alike. Their distinctive handwriting becomes a visual expression of diversity, transforming a shared declaration of belonging into an artwork unique to each community.
Artist rendering of what Our America could look like at Washington Square Park
THE IMPACT
From a primal howl to an act of love.
Our America transformed an individual act of protest into a collective experience. By reclaiming the practice of writing lines and reimagining it through the simplicity and impermanence of chalk, the project created a way for people to express their individuality while making the same declaration of belonging.
The artwork will disappear, but the experience of creating it together remains.