Fundred Reserve
1 of 10
Object Label
Mel Chin learned that, even before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, children living in New Orleans’s inner-city neighborhoods were experiencing lead poisoning, and the U.S. government was providing almost no funding to address the crisis. He then found this invisible threat throughout the United States. Chin launched the Fundred Project to create hand-drawn currency called Fundreds as a tangible expression of the value of people’s voices, united against lead contamination and lead poisoning. Nearly half a million Fundreds are presented here, on a pallet designed by Chin. The project continues to represent these artists by advocating for environmental justice and inspiring the U.S. government to deliver a lead-free future.
Caption
Artists of the Fundred Project, initiated by Mel Chin (American, born 1951); Presentation Pallet made by Mel Chin (American, born 1951). Fundred Reserve, 2008–2019. Paper, hemp twine, white oak, bronze, silk, brass, pigment, patina, Styrofoam, wood, Fundreds, height per bundle, approx.: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) pallet: 16 × 87 × 77 1/2 in. (40.6 × 221 × 196.9 cm) sign: 92 7/8 × 2 × 77 1/2 in. (235.9 × 5.1 × 196.9 cm) presentation vitrine for pallet with bundled bills.: 79 × 90 1/4 × 95 1/4 in. (200.7 × 229.2 × 241.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Artists of the Fundred Project, initiated by Mel Chin, 2019.29. © Mel Chin. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Fundred Reserve
Date
2008–2019
Medium
Paper, hemp twine, white oak, bronze, silk, brass, pigment, patina, Styrofoam, wood
Classification
Dimensions
Fundreds, height per bundle, approx.: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) pallet: 16 × 87 × 77 1/2 in. (40.6 × 221 × 196.9 cm) sign: 92 7/8 × 2 × 77 1/2 in. (235.9 × 5.1 × 196.9 cm) presentation vitrine for pallet with bundled bills.: 79 × 90 1/4 × 95 1/4 in. (200.7 × 229.2 × 241.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Artists of the Fundred Project, initiated by Mel Chin
Accession Number
2019.29
Rights
© Mel Chin
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