In keeping with our "Going Green" theme,
"The Fundred Dollar Bill Project began in 2006 when artist and sculptor Mel Chin asked the federal government for $300 million to treat lead pollution in New Orleans. “It was devastating to [Chin] when he realized how 30 percent of New Orleans’ youth have been exposed to lead poisoning,” explained Carnegie Mellon CFA alumna Jessica Moss, who heads the regional Fundred collection. However, when the government rejected his proposal and told Chin he would need to raise the $300 million on his own, the artist came up with a new twist on fundraising. “[Chin] knew that he could not raise that much money in any amount of time,” Moss said. “So he said, ‘Why not create that money?’ ” Chin started the Fundred Dollar Bill Project locally in New Orleans’ elementary schools,
but the project soon expanded across the nation.
Fundreds are fake $100 bills with the face of Benjamin Franklin, the image of Independence Hall, and other notable features blanked out. The Fundred templates encourage participants to draw what is important to them on their mock bills, such as putting their home on the back where Independence Hall was originally. “The Fundred templates are used almost as equivalents of $100 bills,” Moss said.
“The funny thing about the project is that it’s such a gamble.... The end of the project is June 2010.... Hopefully at that moment, the government will decide whether they will do something with the Fundreds.” There has so far been no word from the United States government concerning its response to the project.
Also noteworthy are the security and transport of these drawings.
“An armored truck will travel to each of the pickup sites around the country and pick up however many Fundreds they’ve collected,” Moss said. “The problem of lead poisoning is so vast and affecting so many people that the symbolic value of the Fundreds is significant, even if the monetary value isn’t yet.”
Fundreds are fake $100 bills with the face of Benjamin Franklin, the image of Independence Hall, and other notable features blanked out. The Fundred templates encourage participants to draw what is important to them on their mock bills, such as putting their home on the back where Independence Hall was originally. “The Fundred templates are used almost as equivalents of $100 bills,” Moss said.
“The funny thing about the project is that it’s such a gamble.... The end of the project is June 2010.... Hopefully at that moment, the government will decide whether they will do something with the Fundreds.” There has so far been no word from the United States government concerning its response to the project.
Also noteworthy are the security and transport of these drawings.
“An armored truck will travel to each of the pickup sites around the country and pick up however many Fundreds they’ve collected,” Moss said. “The problem of lead poisoning is so vast and affecting so many people that the symbolic value of the Fundreds is significant, even if the monetary value isn’t yet.”
(Article taken from The Tartan)
Getting kids to be OK with making art for someone other than themselves can be a really tricky thing, but I love that Jamie was up for the challenge, and quickly got her students on board. Jamie went the extra step and had the kids make "safes" for the money, which I thought was pretty awesome. The fundreds will be on display in our final show on April 24th, and then will be mailed off to join the other fundreds in hopes that the government
will match every dollar we decorated.
To learn more about Fundreds and to print out lesson plans and templates go to www.fundreds.org
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