You may have noticed teams of people in orange vests whitewashing advertising billboards in Manhattan and Brooklyn today. They weren't employees of NPA, the company that maintains the billboards. In fact, they were part of a subversive network convened by the Public Art Campaign to take back hundreds of advertising locations that NPA has placed around the city.
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Earlier this month we noticed that the Conor Harrington piece at the corner of 13th and Washington was covered up by an illegal and unpermitted NPA advertising panel. Yesterday the Public Ad Campaign, who targeted the company's billboards during a takeover in April, uncovered the colorful piece of artwork and reclaimed the space... for now.
The Conor Harrington piece that's been up on the corner of 13th and Washington has been covered with a brand new NPA City Outdoor advertising frame and some sweet ads for Steely Dan, and major motion pictures District 9 and 2012. Street artists be warned: when you mess with The Man, you get The Dan!
Over the weekend the Public Ad Campaign organized a massive takeover of some billboard space around Manhattan, where only one whitewashing team was arrested. While the new non-commercial public canvases looked vibrant throughout the day, by the next they were reclaimed by The Man. Luckily it was all well documented. You can check out further images at AnimalNY, Wooster Collective, cronicasbarbaras and Flickr.
Yesterday, the Public Ad Campaign coordinated teams of people to whitewash illegal outdoor street-level billboards in Manhattan. Though many outdoor ads (also known as "wild postings") are illegal, the Department of Buildings also says it has its hands full fighting many instances of illegal billboards—hence the volunteer effort.



