Help the next great artist succeed with a fun event during National Hugging Day!
The next Alex Ross, Jim Lee, or Babs Tarr could be in elementary school right now. That’s right. The next big comic book artist might be a kid making his or her first sketch and exploring different mediums of art. Art Revolution Foundation and artist Nathan Sawaya have found a fun way to help these future luminaries reach their goals during National Hugging Day.
On January 21, 2018—officially known as National Hugging Day—100 HUGMAN LEGO sculptures will be unleashed onto the streets of Los Angeles. Everyone can partake in this fun scavenger hunt by taking a picture of these unique sculptures and sharing them via Twitter with the hashtag #HugmanAdventures.
After this event, each HUGMAN sculpture will be auctioned off on www.CharityBuzz.com to support Art Revolution Foundation—which will use the proceeds to strengthen art education in schools and give children the resources they need to grow and succeed. Here’s the official press release:
Hugging Sculptures to Descend Upon Los Angeles to Benefit Arts Education on National Hugging Day
Art Revolution Foundation and Nathan Sawaya Use LEGO® Bricks for City-Wide Art Installation on January 21
Pop Culture Influencers and Artists Collaborate with Their Own Hugging Creations
LOS ANGELES (January 18, 2018) – The Art Revolution Foundation and contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya will place over 100 sculptures made out of LEGO® bricks across Los Angeles on January 21, National Hugging Day, to support the foundation and its mission to strengthen arts education programs. Referred to as HUGMAN, the vividly-colored human figures will create a mass street art installation and will include designs from notable artists, influencers and designers, such as Tony Hawk, Justine Ezarik (“iJustine”), Alec Monopoly, Ashley Eckstein and more.
Standing nearly 20 inches tall, the HUGMAN figures will wrap their arms around table legs, sign posts, bicycle racks, trees, fence posts and anything they can get their arms around throughout Los Angeles. Made from rectangular LEGO bricks and customized with a variety of materials such as glass, paint and yarn, these vibrant sculptures will be put in public places from Culver City and Downtown LA to the San Fernando Valley. Angelenos are encouraged to take part in the scavenger hunt by following along on Twitter to help locate these street art sculptures and share a photo using the hashtag #HugmanAdventures.
The HUGMAN street art craze began when Sawaya began placing the human figures throughout New York City in 2009 as a form of street art. Since then, HUGMAN have been found strategically placed across the globe.
For the Los Angeles-based project, blank hugging figures were provided to a variety of creative collaborators to personalize. Collaborators have since painted, drawn and customized the figures as part of the National Hugging Day installation.
“I’m excited to work with some great artists, influencers and designers to bring never-before-seen HUGMAN sculptures to Los Angeles for a great cause,” said artist Sawaya.
Following the one-day art installation, the unique sculptures will be featured in an online art auction to support the Art Revolution Foundation, an organization that works to strengthen art education in schools and supply students with the tools they need to be creative. Select HUGMAN sculptures can be bid on http://www.CharityBuzz.com.
“Studies show that including art into the classroom curriculum has monumental benefits for students and school culture,” said Nellie Scott, Director of Development for the Art Revolution Foundation. “Unfortunately, not every student has access to these benefits, so Art Revolution Foundation is working to change that.”
Other renowned artists, influencers and designers contributing to Art Revolution’s HUGMAN initiative include: Jonathan Coulton, Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Phil LaMarr, Adam Savage, Paul Sabourin, Greg “Storm” DiCostanzo, Anne Wheaton, Justin Willman, Chris Pirillo, Bronwyn Lundberg, Sarah Zucker, Joseph Scrimshaw, Sean Kuehner, Ben Blacker, Kevin Champeny, Dave Pollot, Marc Fornes, Kim Evey, Greg Benson, Victor Lucas, David Orozco, Judy Richards and more.
In an effort to make HUGMAN available for all to enjoy, the HUGMAN sculpture is currently featured on the LEGO Ideas forum. If it receives over 10,000 supporters, HUGMAN will be nominated as an official LEGO set. Fans can vote for HUGMAN at tiny.cc/hugman.
ABOUT ART REVOLUTION FOUNDATION
Art Revolution Foundation is an organization promoting art for happiness, health and education by putting supplies back into creative hands. This Art Revolution is about bringing art into America’s lives to make them smarter, healthier and ultimately happier. It’s not just a foundation, a book or organization; it’s a movement for you, your family and your community. The Art Revolution team want to change the way art education is viewed around the globe, helping families and communities make art a priority in their lives, and motivating individuals to stand up for their rights to better art education in schools. All in the name of happiness. Learn more at artrevolution.org.
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