"HOPEFUL" BILLBOARD, INTRIGUING AND DELIGHTING PASSING TRAFFIC, SET TO RESIDE IN NEWARK FOR A YEAR

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the desire to inspire optimism for Americans coping with pandemic fatigue and political polarization, renowned artist Charlie Hewitt has rented a billboard in downtown Newark, New Jersey, to display and share his art work. "Hopeful," a digital image created by Hewitt, will reside on a 14-foot x 48-foot billboard on the southbound McCarter Highway for the next year. "Hopeful" is expected to engage almost 11 million views over the next 52 weeks.

Hewitt's Hopeful Project was originally conceived and created as sculpture, a public art project in the artist's home state of Maine. Large sculptural signs in radiant colors, some weighing up to 600 pounds and measuring 60-feet across, began appearing on buildings in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor and Brunswick. Then more in Greenwich, CT; New York City and Easton, Maryland.

Hopeful's design incorporates a retro style with their colorfast radiance, reminiscent of a post-WWII time of hopefulness and progress in the country. The simple but powerful message has inspired citizens to share their feelings upon experiencing Hopeful.

In the early winter of 2021, Hewitt realized that his message could spread further on billboards; he partnered with OUTFRONT Media, an outdoor advertising company, to render his sculpture into a digital billboard. Hewitt then chose two of OUTFRONT's billboard locations in New Jersey – one just past the exit of the tunnel and the other in Newark.

"I realized that I could spread my message much more quickly on billboards. The initial billboard campaign, which ran over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, was so successful that I decided that Hopeful should live in Newark for the next twelve months and rented a billboard along with my art dealer, Jim Kempner," said Hewitt. "My wish is for more people to experience the art from their cars, in their walks and in a social media campaign… and I am "hopeful" that I will find more collaborators who will help me spread the word "Hopeful" across the country."

If you are interested in bringing The Hopeful Project to your community, publicly or privately, please reach out to Charlie Hewitt Studio for more information. Hewitt is represented by Jim Kempner Fine Art in New York City. Instagram: @_hopefulproject.

Charlie Hewitt
Charlie Hewitt, b.1946, is an American painter, printmaker, and public artist. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New York Public Library, and Library of Congress. He has also been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is the only artist to have a permanent public sculpture, "Urban Rattle," on the High Line in New York City. Charlie Hewitt can be found on Instagram at @charliehewittstudio.

The Hopeful Project Artist Charlie Hewitt began The Hopeful Project, 2019-present, with a single lighted aluminum sculpture commissioned by Speedwell Projects for the roof of their headquarters in Portland, Maine. To date, the Hopeful message has spread with installations across seven states at dozens of different sites, both public and private. Follow along on Instagram at @_hopefulproject and with the hashtag #sharehopeful.

Jim Kempner Fine Art
Jim Kempner Fine Art specializes in contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography, and works on paper, with a special emphasis on contemporary master prints and outdoor sculpture. Art inventory appeals to the established as well as beginning collector. The gallery works closely with art advisors, designers, corporations and museums to expand and enrich their varied collections. Jim Kempner also writes, directs, and stars in a satiric web series, The Madness of Art.

OUTFRONT Media
OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its ON Smart Media platform, OUTFRONT is implementing digital technology that will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. OUTFRONT owns 512,000 billboards across the United States and has 14,000 locations in Canada.

SOURCE Hopeful