Community Chalkboards in Johannesburg, South Africa

When a child went missing for three days in Diepsloot, a township in Johannesburg, the city realized the challenges of getting the word out quickly. Along with Global Studio, Chang and her team of international students helped develop a radio station and a series of chalkboards that facilitated local communication. The installation of these community chalkboards has provided residents with a free and accessible platform to ask questions, post about local challenges or jobs, and publicize events.

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

Rent Post-Its in Brooklyn, New York

To some, it is taboo to talk about money. But, with the staggering rent increases in gentrified areas, Chang thought it necessary to bring up the issue and expose unregulated landlords. She posted anonymous Post-It notes on a Brooklyn storefront, encouraging neighbors to share their monthly rent with the community. The result was staggering. The difference in rent varied by the thousands, from $350 for a one-bedroom rented 21 years ago, to $2,700 for a one-bedroom rented two years ago. 

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

Confession Booth in Los Vegas, Nevada

Through an artist-in-residence program, Candy Chang lived in the The Cosmopolitan, a luxury hotel on the Las Vegas strip. To play with the idea of "what goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas," Chang turned its studio gallery into a safe space where Vegas-goers could release the secrets they’d carried to (or made in) Vegas. She invited passersby to write their hearts out on wooden plaques, which were then arranged randomly to create a room full of beautiful confessions. They’re all right here. Don’t tell. 

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

Looking For Love Again in Fairbanks, Alaska

The Alaska Design Forum called on Chang to create a public art project on the Polaris, the tallest building in Fairbanks since 1952. Once a Fairbanks landmark that housed apartments, a hotel, and millions of memories, the building has been sitting vacant for over a decade. Chang hung a four-story sign that read “Looking for Love Again” and asked residents to share their memories on a public chalkboard that turned into a true Fairbanks love story.

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

I Wish This Was… Anywhere

Confronted by empty storefronts in New Orleans, Chang set out to give locals a voice. What kinds of things did they they wish to see in their communities? She placed free fill-in-the-blank stickers around abandoned properties to see if the neighbors had any ideas. And they did. Responses ranged from "I wish this was a grocery" to "I wish this was heaven."

If you have vacant storefronts in your community or you just wish something that currently exists was something else, you can print your own stickers here. 

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

The School of the Future in Mobile, Alabama

In order to explore the role of school in our lives, Chang took to the Futures exhibit at the Centre for the Living Arts. She filled the gallery with big red inflatable balls to invoke the joy of childhood. Then, she asked visitors to walk down a central ramp, sit at a desk from the 1900s, and fill in a notebook, answering the question, “What do you WISH you learned in school?” Chang collected over a thousand answers from May to December of 2013, ranging from "patience and kindness" to "how to handle an existential crisis."

Photo courtesy of Kimberly Nichols

F and F Sign in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Iconic Signage Project commissioned Chang to help invigorate the historic business on Broad Street in New Orleans to draw in the community. They wanted new signage that still evoked the jazz-age elements of Broad Street’s heyday. Using neon lights, Chang re-designed the sign for F & F Botanical and Candle Shop, a family-run spiritual candle emporium and NOLA landmark. The neon candle on the new sign flickers faster when shoppers walk by to celebrate the energy of humanity. 

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

The Career Path in Turku, Finland

A local bike and pedestrian path in Turku, Finland is often called the “Career Path” because it leads students to the university. To give those students perspective, Chang created prompts that ask people what they wanted to be as children and what they want to be today. Passersby can think about their life choices and write directly onto the pavement. Most show drastic changes: "When I was little I wanted to be a princess. Today, I want to be an electrician."

Photo courtesy of Candy Chang

Before I Die in 60 Countries 

Candy Chang’s most popular installation may be the most thought-provoking. After losing a loved one suddenly, Chang covered the side of an abandoned house with chalkboard paint and stenciled the sentence “Before I die I want to _____.” In the morning, all eighty blanks were filled and Chang felt closer to her neighbors than ever before. Before I Die walls have since been created in over 30 languages and over 60 countries worldwide.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Carden