The National Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Tate are asking people to make artwork “to counter the gloom of the pandemic.”
The opening theme, chosen by Sir Antony Gormley, the British sculptor famous for the Angel Of The North, will be animals.
Artworks – drawn, painted, sculpted, built or created with other materials – can be put up on front windows, front doors, balconies or gardens.
Artists such as Sir Anish Kapoor, Jeremy Deller and Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei will select a different theme each fortnight.
The next theme of The Great Big Art Exhibition will be portraits, chosen by Sonia Boyce, and artworks can be made of anything.
Sally Shaw, director of Firstsite, which came up with the idea, said: “The doors to our collections and galleries might be shut but our imaginations are forever open.
“Making, showing and experiencing art has created so much joy, connection and solace for many thousands of people.
“I can’t wait to see a brand new nationwide art gallery appearing before our eyes in coming days, weeks and months. This is sure to be an incredible expression of people’s creativity.”
Organisers said “people can work as individuals or as a community, by joining up ‘virtually’ with their street, school, temple, church, shopping centre or football team to produce a memorable and exciting artwork”.
Artworks from the nation’s galleries and museums can be used as a template or for inspiration and will be put online.
Sir Antony said: “Everybody’s feeling a bit frustrated, a bit pent up…
“It’s clear that we can do it. The lovely expression of love and gratitude to the NHS that led to all those rainbows going up in windows, that’s a singular image that was copied by everybody to show solidarity.
“Now we have a chance to show the amazing diversity of talent that exists in every single one of us.”
He said that the “frustration” people feel now, “is this massive reservoir of energy.”
“Let’s do something positive with that energy and just change our streetscapes by turning all the windows that face the street into art galleries, so that walking down the road in a village or a town or city becomes this delightful kind of art gallery.”
The Great Big Art Exhibition is running now until April. Further information and an activity pack can be downloaded at www.firstsite.uk
