On March 2, 2011, JR won the TED prize at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California, and called for the creation of a global participatory art project with the potential to change the world. This project is called INSIDE OUT.
Inspired by JR’s large-format street “pastings”, INSIDE OUT gives everyone the opportunity to share their portrait and make a statement for what they stand for. It is a global platform for people to share their untold stories and transform messages of personal identity into works of public art.
Annie Ward Love, a senior at Freeman High School in Richmond, VA, helped bring INSIDE OUT to her high school cafeteria where the diverse student body often remains segregated. Students, teachers, and staff galvanized around the idea, hoping that the portraits will help everyone to truly see each other.