The People’s Biennial recognizes a wide array of artistic expression present in many communities across the United States. In covering the little known, the overlooked, the marginalized, and the excluded, the project offers a view into a diverse range of creative practices in America today.
The Biennial also proposes an alternative to the standard contemporary art biennial, which mostly focuses on art from a few select cities (New York, Los Angeles, occasionally Chicago, Miami or San Francisco). It questions the often exclusionary and insular process of selecting art that has at times turned the spaces where art is exhibited into privileged havens seemingly detached from the realities of everyday life.
People's Biennial is an exhibition series conceived by artist Harrell Fletcher and curator Jens Hoffmann in 2009. It examines the work of artists and other creative individuals, who operate outside the conventional art world.