For Freedoms will stage a variety of activations in Milwaukee and Chicago to coincide with the Republican and Democratic National Converntions this summer Including artist billboards. Designed to galvanize creativity and discourse surrounding the election through artistic interventions, these community-focused activations will involve a variety of local and national partners, artists, and civic organizations aimed at uplifting artist voices, engaging local communities, and sparking civic joy.

A billboard by artist Carrie Mae Weems will be installed in Chicago, and a billboard by Hank Willis Thomas was installed in Milwaukee during the RNC with others to be installed in key swing states this Fall in partnership with Movement Voter Fund.

In partnership with Gertie, a civic and cultural agency expanding the impact of Chicago's creative economy, Billboards featuring the works of Christine Wong Yap, Ebony G. Patterson, Koyoltzinlti Miranda-Rivadeneira,, Slow and Steady Wins the Race, and a new commission by Jake Troyli, will be strategically placed across the city as a part of their Next Stop: Chicago campaign.  These billboards will be installed from August through the end of October, to maximize visibility and engagement leading up to, during, and following the convention.

Additionally, For Freedoms will participate in Heart + Craft on Lake,  a day long community event presented by SkyART on August 21 that will feature the unveiling of a permanent mural by Jake Troyli at, commissioned by the youth-centered arts nonprofit in partnership with For Freedoms and Gertie; a Town Hall conversation (further details below); and Autumn Breon’s Care Machine; along with additional community partners and programming.

Lastly, join The Bench, For Freedoms, and other co-hosts to gather after-hours at Manny’s Deli to revel in the Convention’s finale on August 22 for the non-partisan Unauthorized DNC after party. The event will merge up-and-coming activists, politicians, staffers, and journalists with the artists, creatives, and fashion scene of Chicago.