Amplifier

ENCODED won the @thewebbyawards (twice)!!! Best AR and Best Community Engagement! This dream of an unsanctioned augmented reality takeover of the Met started 4 years ago for @argonautphoto when he first started sketching out, 3D scanning, and planning the covering of statues like “Mexican Dying Girl” in the atrium of the American Wing (slide 3). But it never could have happened without the world-class team at @amplifierart , @cleobarnett , @zandiebrockett , co-curator @tracyrectorart , and the 17 indigenous artists who both challenged and celebrated without asking permission from the @metmuseum : @cannupahanska , @bearfox34 , @bird_x_bird , @josue_foto x @bemo_studio , @lifegiverspottery , @skawennati , @jeremynative , @maliobomsawin , @lokotahsanborn , @nicholasgalanin , @metztli_citlali_invent , @priscilladoblerdzul_studio , @heterogeneoushomosexual , @jarrette_werk , @cass_gardiner , and our AR team @eyejackapp . Check out our pinned post for the full launch video from October to see work from every artist in the show!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

@amplifierart is proud to announce: This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, seventeen Indigenous artists are taking over the American Wing of the @metmuseum in New York City (on Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenape people) as it ends its centennial year. This augmented reality exhibition is unsanctioned, the Met did not know this was coming. This act of reclamation was made possible by an anonymous Indigenous donor, and with co-curation from Tracy Reneé Rector, with Amplifier providing support through the immersive design, digital infrastructure, production systems, and distribution strategy that helped bring these artists’ collective vision to life. Our resulting exhibit, ENCODED, is not a protest, or a demand for inclusion; it is a portal inviting us to see what happens when new narratives enter old frames. It is not a response to power. It IS power. ENCODED is now live inside The Met’s American Wing, and will remain on view through the end of the year. Through augmented reality, (using the link in our header) visitors can hold up their phones and watch the museum’s celebrated paintings and sculptures transform into living works by contemporary Indigenous artists. If you find yourself in New York, we invite you to come experience it! Exhibiting artists: @skawennati @cannupahanska @nicholasgalanin @lifegiverspottery @bearfox34 @priscilladoblerdzul_studio @youngmer @cass_gardiner @bird_x_bird @maliobomsawin @lokotahsanborn @jarrette_werk @jeremynative @josue_foto @heterogeneoushomosexual @studioamelia @tracyrectorart @bemo_studio @acosia_ 🎥: @argonautphoto

In 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched unprecedented anti-immigrant enforcement operations flooding major cities with ICE agents, building new detention facilities, and ultimately deploying 4,000 agents to Minneapolis–St. Paul in what became the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. Communities fought back: organizing rapid-response networks, mutual aid, and massive protests to protect their neighbors. In collaboration with @falloffreedom , we created a teaching tool documenting both the psychological terror inflicted on Minneapolis–St. Paul communities and the remarkable humanity of neighbors who refused to let fear win. K–12 students are invited to submit a collage envisioning unity, solidarity, and community care. Selected works will be exhibited to the public during Fall of Freedom’s October activations nationwide. Youth artists, we want your Blueprints for Love. This May Day, we remember that the fight for dignity, safety, and the right to exist without fear is not new and we know whose side we are on. Join Fall of Freedom’s May 1st activation and communities gathering nationwide for performances, screenings, exhibitions, and public actions by signing up for the Education Amplifier network and sharing this opportunity with your students. 🗓 Submit collages by September 15, 2026 🔗 Download the Open Call for Art + sign up for the Education Amplifier network — link in bio.

Ever wanted to put a nuclear warhead on your teacher’s desk? Well, now you can! Class Dismissed is an augmented reality project that places full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons inside K–12 public schools. Point your phone at a desk, a hallway, a library, or a football field and a weapon appears. Then it tells you what that weapons system costs, and what we could have built or hired for your school instead. Thats 200,000 teachers we didn’t hire! Try it at the link in our header. A project with @upinarms.us and @yobencohen !

Every day is Earth Day 🔊🔊🔊 Today we are reflecting on all that sustains us. Food. The soil. The hands that tend it. The people who carry its stories. Last fall, we had the honor of gathering with @the_sioux_chef for the opening of @indigenoushouse on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a celebration of community brilliance, community wealth, and community well-being, with people from across Turtle Island coming together in one room. This is a small glimpse of that day. Thank you to @crystalechohawk and @indigenoushouse for the opportunity, to @elevateprize for helping make this collaboration with @the_sioux_chef possible, and to @madremezcal for your support. With gratitude to @westofhere.studio x @zandiebrockett for bringing the gathering to life with so many thoughtful and innovative touches, and to the dream production team: @florfrances @stphsays @plesterrr @bellabelove @julietaeiou @catmahatta . Videographer: @byruvan Super8: @cleobarnett Editing: @brycereifdotcom

Change is inevitable. The question is not whether it will happen, but whether we will take part in shaping it. War and environmental collapse are not parallel crises; they are deeply intertwined, rooted in the same systems that treat land, water, and people as expendable. What we are witnessing is not only ecological breakdown, but a broader unraveling of how we value life itself. As we witness the rising tide of war, extraction, and violence shaping this moment—on our cell phones and in our communities—we continue to hold our focus on what must be protected and what is still possible. As the great writer and activist James Baldwin said, “The world will change because it has to change.” Artists, educators, organizers, and everyday people continue to show up, not only in resistance, but in relationship. Relationship to land, to community, and to future generations. This is where real change takes root, not just in opposition, but in the act of remembering our interdependence. This Earth Day, we are asking you to take one simple, powerful step: bring this work into your world. Purchase an artwork and place it in your window, your classroom, your office, or your community space. Each piece directly supports Amplifier’s rapid-response campaigns, fueling artist commissions, education tools, and cultural interventions in the lead-up to this year’s election. Every purchase from our shop will directly fuel rapid response and movement work in our communities. And now through the end of April get free art with every purchase. Link in bio. Slide one artwork by @thomaswimberly Slide two artwork by @mishazadeh Slide three and four artworks by @obeygiant Slide five artwork by @lmnopimaize Slide six artwork by @amplifierart Slide seven artwork by @tristaneaton

Two charts. Same story. The tradeoffs aren’t abstract. They’re the size of your school. The Pentagon gets way more money than it needs to defend the territory of the US, and we don’t get the great schools, good affordable housing, reasonably priced daycare, and top-notch healthcare we need. That’s crazy. Check out our new Nuclear Tradeoff Calculator for K–12 schools at classdismissed.us and find out how many teachers could be hired for each nuclear warhead we are producing. (Link in stories and our header.) What can you do besides using our WebAR calculator? Contact your representatives, make it a factor in your vote, and use your platform. The 2026 midterms are coming. Our partners at @upinarms.us and @yobencohen are making it easy to act. Sign the petition. Tell Congress to stop overkill Pentagon spending and invest in what we actually need.

🔊🔊🔊CLASS DISMISSED is our latest augmented reality project, and it lets users place full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons components inside K–12 public schools. Point your phone at a desk, a hallway, a library, or a football field, and find out exactly what tradeoffs are getting made to fund potential world-ending weapons instead of education. We have already spent more than $40 billion in 6 weeks on the war in Iran, and the Pentagon has asked for $200 billion more in emergency funding for the conflict. The White House has also proposed a $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027, the largest in modern history, a 42% increase over last year. At the same time they want to cut funding to programs that save lives and educate Americans. Beyond traditional defense spending, the administration is on track to spend nearly $1 trillion on the U.S. nuclear arsenal over the next decade. We decided to help visualize what those weapons budgets could fund in our schools instead, and to help make visible what we value and what we do not. Check out our new Nuclear Tradeoff Calculator for K–12 schools at classdismissed.us. What can you do? Contact your representatives, make it a factor in your vote, and use your platform. The 2026 midterms are coming! Learn more about what actions you can take from our partners at @upinarms.us and @yobencohen !

It felt impossible to bring this to life at points in the process, but through our commitment to each other and the vision, together, we made it real! Last year, we created a clandestine exhibition in @metmusuem American Wing through an unsanctioned augmented reality intervention with 17 Indigenous artists, brought together by a truly incredible group of collaborators. In a world shaped by trillion-dollar industries telling us what to see, what to value, and whose stories matter, there’s something profound about carving out even a small pocket of space for something different. This project is now nominated for two Webby Awards: Best Community Engagement + Best Use of Augmented Reality. If it resonates, it would mean a lot to have your support. Voting takes 30 seconds and open for three more days, links are in my header. Grateful to be building this kind of work together with the dream team: This exhibition was co-curated by @tracyrectorart featuring work by: @studioamelia @bearfox34 @bird_x_bird @cannupahanska @cass_gardiner @heterogeneoushomosexual + Lite Brite Neon, Flechas @jarrette_werk @jeremynative @josue_foto @lifegiverspottery @lokotahsanborn @maliobomsawin @metztli_citlali_invent @nicholasgalanin @priscilladoblerdzul_studio and @skawennati Special thanks to the team that worked behind the scenes to bring this ambitious project to life: @argonautphoto (Creative Director, Director of Immersive Design), Alex Neville (Senior Digital Producer), Alison Lucker (Business Director), Beth Koulyras (Developer), Cleo Barnett (Executive Director of Amplifier), Eris Pavaje (AR Technician), @fayeorlove (Graphic Design), @florfrances (Production Manager), @bellabelove (Operations Director), Juan Mateo Menendez (AR Animator), @julietaeiou (Program Coordinator), Keorattana Luangrathrajasombat (AR Technician), Lukasz Karluk (Technical Director, EyeJack), Maribel Gonzalez (Education Manager), Milosz Karluk (Graphic Design), Paige Lester (Production Lead), Stephany Torres @stphsays (Production Manager), Sutu Campbell (Art Director at @eyejackapp ), @thomaswimberly (Design), Tracy Rector (Co-Curator), @zandiebrockett 张桂才 (Executive Producer)

I created this series in collaboration with @amplifierart and @intersectionsofourlives , extending ideas from my @matinggames project into a broader conversation around reproductive justice, care, and collective power. These works are part of a larger initiative led by @latinainstitute , @napawf , and @blackwomensrj , centering the lived realities of women of color and gender-expansive communities. This series connects to my ongoing @matinggames work, exploring bodies, autonomy, desire, and the systems that shape our reproductive choices. The stakes show up in access to healthcare, economic freedom, and the ability to build a life on your own terms. To learn more or support the work, follow @intersectionsofourlives and @amplifierart . Thank you @amplifierart for including me in yet another powerful project. ⚡

We’ve been nominated for two @thewebbyawards and it now comes down to the public’s vote! ENCODED featured the work of 17 Indigenous artists who reimagined the American Wing of the @metmuseum through an unsanctioned exhibition, capturing the public’s imagination and reaching hundreds of millions of people through art, story, and augmented reality. If you believe in artist-led work that doesn’t ask permission — take 30 seconds to vote. We are up against some big money corporate projects, all the more reason to vote 🔊🔊🔊 Will you give this unsanctioned artist led project your vote? Two voting links can be found in our header. This exhibition was co-curated by @tracyrectorart featuring work by: @studioamelia @bearfox34 @bird_x_bird @cannupahanska @cass_gardiner @heterogeneoushomosexual + Lite Brite Neon, Flechas @jarrette_werk @jeremynative @josue_foto @lifegiverspottery @lokotahsanborn @maliobomsawin @mer_murals @nicholasgalanin @priscilladoblerdzul_studio and @skawennati Special thanks to the team that worked behind the scenes to bring this ambitious project to life: Aaron Huey (Creative Director, Director of Immersive Design), Alex Neville (Senior Digital Producer), Alison Lucker (Business Director), Beth Koulyras (Developer), Cleo Barnett (Executive Director of Amplifier), Eris Pavaje (AR Technician), Faye Orlove (Graphic Design), Florencia Franceschetti (Production Manager), Isabella Sisneros (Operations Director), Juan Mateo Menendez (AR Animator), Julieta Renteria (Program Coordinator), Keorattana Luangrathrajasombat (AR Technician), Lukasz Karluk (Technical Director, EyeJack), Maribel Gonzalez (Education Manager), Milosz Karluk (Graphic Design), Paige Lester (Production Lead), Stephany Torres (Production Manager), Sutu Campbell (Art Director at EyeJack), Thomas Wimberly (Design), Tracy Rector (Co-Curator), Zandie Brockett 张桂才 (Executive Producer).

@mollycrabapple ’s new book Here Where We Live Is Our Country is available for pre-order now 🔊🔊🔊 This history of the Jewish Labor Bund tells the story of a radical band of secular, socialist, anti-Zionist organizers. The legacy of their courageous rebellion is acutely relevant in our present day. If you believe in the power of art, history, and collective memory to shape the future, this book is one to support. Pre-orders really matter. They help this work travel further and reach more people! Please order before April 7th if you can at the link in @mollycrabapple bio. “Solidarity is fragile and frequently betrayed, but it is all we have. It is the only thing that can save us.” Artwork on bus shelters by the one and only @torture_fantasy 🗝️✨