Unlike a paperboy, a papergirl does not follow the same route. She goes where ever she wants, never takes the same road twice, talks to strangers and doesn’t even collect money at the end of the month. She is the kind of girl all the boys, and girls for that matter, want to hang out with. And they all can. Papergirl is a Berlin-originated arts project that started in 2006, that has since spread all over the world, taking art back to the streets and to the people.

The concept of Papergirl is that any artist who wants to participate in the project is welcome to submit. The only guidelines are that submissions need to be presented in sets of two and most importantly, the art can be rolled up. The selected pieces will then be exhibited at a gallery. After the closing of the exhibition, Papergirl keeps one copy of each piece for their archive, rolls up the rest of the artwork and attaches information about the artist and the program to each roll. Then a pack of cyclists roam every district of the city and randomly hand out the art to people on the streets for free. Sina Hickey, founder of the Albany chapter and one of the brains behind this year’s Berlin edition, explained that this aspect of the project is the essential element of Papergirl, since it reaches people that wouldn’t usually get in touch with art much to actually have a piece for themselves, without having to pay anything.

The routes of the Papergirls therefore need to cover all parts of the city, especially those that don’t have galleries or museums, and the art should be given to those who least expect it. Instead of trying to make money, the project focuses on presenting the art in a spontaneous, unique and direct way. When I asked her what kind of reactions the Papergirls had gotten during last year’s paper route, Hickey just smiled and said that they had seen everything from grateful faces, to people just ignoring them, to having the art thrown right back at them. She also explained that the project is in part a reaction to the ever increasing anti-graffiti movement in Berlin, and that the handing out of art on the street is a creative approach to dodge these strict laws. The last exhibition in Berlin, Papergirl’s fifth, was the biggest so far. Added incentive-Papergirls will help you to trick your bikes out into tall cycles or low riders, so you can help distribute the art in style after the closing.

This year, Papergirls from other cities like Capetown, Manchester or Bucharest, were invited to participate in the Berlin edition, in order to share ideas, experiences and vision for the future of the project, which they hope to expand worldwide. There will also be a symposium on the topic “The Art of Giving Art.” The Papergirl Berlin exhibition is on at Neurotitan Gallery until the 23rd of July. For more dates, locations and info on Papergirl Berlin, check out their Facebook page.

Good news if you can’t get to Berlin, Papergirl hits the US this summer. The deadline for submissions for the NY State Edition has just been extended to the 1st of August, so all of you who still want to participate—get your sharpies, your brushes and your crayons and get busy. Those who want to contribute to the San Francisco edition still have until the 18th of August.

Click “Read More” for a video trailer, some photos from the last exhibit and up-coming dates.

Dumbo Art Center NYC: August 23-27
Armory in Manhattan NYC: August 28-29
Marketplace Gallery Albany: September 3-6

from SinaBasila on Vimeo.