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...

Free pass wishes…token # 947

A couple of guys that come into my bar for wings and beers, Ryan and Louis, passed the coin along to me, and within minutes, I won $40,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. (That last part may be made up for the purpose of making my story more interesting) I have carried the coin in […]

Co worker….

“Last Friday I got angry at a coworker in accounting who declined twice to be helpful to me in my hour of personal need. She refused to verify my employment at the office or to reprint lost pay stubs for me when asked. I find my frustration stems from being powerless and having to ask […]

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 […]

Free pass conversation…

“What’s that Free Pass for?” I’m sitting at a bar, with an agenda in mind, and the recipient of my eventual inquiries beat me to the punch. Gone was the cascade of cool that was supposed to happen as the crunch of the first half of the football game faded, and suddenly I was up. […]