John
Freyer

Fifty/Fifty

The Free Hot Coffee bike is part of John Freyer's Fifty/Fifty projects, which was featured during the 2017/18 Tate Exchange program at the Tate Modern. Freyer's work offers a unique opportunity to engage people in recovery with broader publics, emphasizing creative expression as means of assisting in the recovery process and reducing the social stigma and isolation associated with individuals struggling with addiction. It also revives the simple yet meaningful practice of face-to-face dialogue ‒ a growing rarity in an increasingly technologically mediated world. Freyer's consideration of these elements of health and wellness speaks to the interdisciplinary and socially-engaged nature of his work, a mode of thinking and doing that we value here at VCUarts and is mirrored by the aims of Tate Exchange.

The first Rams in Recovery Campus Partner Award was given in recognition of the tremendous contributions VCUarts has made in the creation the Collegiate Recovery Program at VCU, with special appreciation for the contributions of John Freyer, mOb, and Louie Correa.