I have been involved with IYTI and Free art for so long I sometimes forget that folk dont know what it is all about so here is the low down on IYTI. It's yours, take it!
History
It's Yours, Take It! was conceptualized early January of 2008 by BonusSaves.
Being an active participant in the Flickr group, Free Art Friday he decided to see what kind of interest there would be for free art shows.
These shows wouldn't just focus on a few local artists teaming up to drop free art, but a collection of worldwide artists sending their work to be displayed at an impromptu street gallery created in a public space. The works would be displayed by local artist(s) residing in the city of an IYTI show. It was resolved that the shows would be held on the same weekend in 5 cities. The format has changed over the years, these days the majority of IYTI events are single city affairs. If you want to host an IYTI event just visit the group on Flickr www.flickr.com/groups/itsyourstakeit contact one of the admins and you're all set.
Manifesto
Here at IYTI we aim to give. Why? Because we can, it promotes creativity, and spontaneity.
It's a great way for people who generally wouldn't think about art to get a piece of artwork for free. This could be on their way to work, school, shopping, or just happening upon it while walking the dog. It's also a way for Artists to see the smiling faces of those receiving their work, the feelings surrounding the giver can be just as overpowering as the joy of finding an artwork on the street.
Current
With over a thousand members, the IYTI group is building in momentum. The response from Artists to give their work freely and from people who have taken art from the shows has been overwhelmingly positive. Round two was almost instantly in the planning before all the images from the first round were uploaded to the group pool on Flickr.
