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...

Closing time token #909?…

I gave a free pass token to a waitress last night because we got to the restaurant sort of near closing time. We were very, very hungry and tired. She was very kind and patient as other workers began their tasks of cleaning and such for closing time. She was wonderfully excited and enthusiastic to […]

Gratitude and mindfulness…

Token #331 My free pass was given to me by my cousin who visited from the East coast. It was given because of the situation my family has found itself in. My mother has been diagnosed with ALS, and I, her 21 year old daughter, am her caregiver. I left my senior year of school […]

Kindness of Strangers

Last year, I found myself in tears on a grassy hill on the Carnegie Mellon campus, attempting to make it through the final morning of the Open Engagement conference. I believe it was you, Rachel, who approached me. You provided me with every sort of support and reflection I needed in that moment, as I […]

Free pass token jar…#765

“Token found at 3 Sisters cafe watching the general public eat ice cream. After checking out every flavor combination of ice cream there is, I saw the token jar resting by the door. Curious, I took one as an ‘opportunity’ to pass onto someone else. I look at it as a “free ticket” to well, […]