"Spread Art Around"

You’re strolling down the street, headphones blasting at full volume, when all of a sudden, you stumble upon a nicely wrapped painting labeled with the bold word “Gift!” Would you stop to take it? Artist Carin Kulb Dangot surely hopes you do. 

Dangot is a Brazilian, New York City based artist specialized in painting and sculpting. Her body of work consists of abstract paintings on various surfaces,as well as sculptures created purely out of acrylic paint. With a background in food engineering, Dangot’s art plays with the concepts of texture, volume, and colors to merge the worlds of visual arts and food—creating pieces that ignite a desire to touch, and sometimes even taste the art. It does so happen that Dangot is my own mother, though that is surely not the only reason why I am her absolute biggest fan and advocate. While my views may be slightly biased, I chose to write about her because I believe her most recent project is growing into something really meaningful.

Dangot always believed artists’ creativity should not be limited to the walls of their own studios. This is where her project Spread Art Around was born. In this project, Dangot leaves small pieces with a short note labeling the art as a gift on streets and sidewalks. Any person who stumbles upon this gift is welcome to take it. Her only request is that this person posts a picture of their gift on Instagram so she knows who received her artwork. 

Dangot explains how she wants “to see what happens when you remove the monetary aspect of the art world. Where can the art go, where could it reach?” The art businesses can often be pricey.  She believes her project can bring so much happiness to those who usually don’t have access to it. She describes her initiative as a message in a bottle. “When you put a message in a bottle, it can reach so many places you wouldn’t even imagine. It's a mystery who might read it” she says. Through this project her work has ended up all across the world in the hands of students, travelers, and so many others. 

Dangot hopes to contribute to the initiative of making art accessible—one that NYC is no stranger to. Numerous galleries and museums offer exhibits completely free of charge around the city. One can simply stroll into art shows in Chelsea or the Bronx Museum of the Arts when the desire strikes. Spread Art Around brings this ease to appreciating art to people’s own homes. 

Other artists have begun to join Dangot in her initiative, and now spread their art simply for the sake of making it accessible to those who want it. Together they fill the streets with bright and bold colors. Spread Art Around gives everyone a chance to call themselves a collector. It brings art outside the walls of a world that is usually so competitive and selective. So next time you find yourself on a walk, keep an eye out. You might just end up being the owner of a one of a kind work of art. 

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