The Free Pass Project – A Social Practice of Spontaneous Compassion and Conversation

Creatively enacting spontaneous compassion and conversation.

(PLEASE NOTE: this website is now an archive of a ten year public art project that engaged and made the day better for over 4,000 people. My full art and project site is www.rachelcyreneblackman.com.)"FREE PASS": two words that can communicate simple compassion. Who needs the grace of a free pass now and again? Almost everyone. Think about your day, and even the last few hours. Has there been a moment where you've given yourself a hard time or been in a frustration? Have you interacted with a loved one or stranger who is stressed, is doing the best they can, feels disengaged from … Read More...

Read Our Stories...

Shy people…

“I obtained a bunch of tokens and did random drops in the Washington DC area while on a trip. I am shy and random drops are the easiest way for me to distribute them. I enjoyed leaving them on subway platforms, on park benches, and in my hotel room for the next guest.” Emily B. 

Shopping line…

“I was grocery shopping one afternoon and made a bee line for the shortest line. The couple ahead of me had a full to overflowing carriage and a screaming, red-faced 2 year old, clearly in need of a nap, which her mother kept calmly repeating, each utterance met with another wail from the child. I […]

Waitress and a free pass

Outstanding Free Pass moment tonight with a young waitress. Showed a token to her and asked if she needed a free pass. She ‘got it’ right away – and snatched it up. If I got the story right, she gave up booze for Lent and had slipped after a job interview. Put it right in […]

High school…

“I’d left a newspaper and bagged cookie on an outdoor cafe table to save the seat while I went back to get my coffee. When I came back, a woman and her teen age daughter were seated at the table. It wasn’t really clear that it was a ‘save my table’ centerpiece I’d left. She […]