Art given freely.
Connection without transaction.
The Giving Project is an ongoing social art project in which Josh Stein gives unique, hand-cast micro-canvases to strangers. The archive records the coordinates, date, and time while leaving the encounter itself between two people.
473 documented interactions to date. View the chronological archive for the latest encounter.
Follow the project
Interactions
Browse the growing chronological archive. Each coordinate opens its location in Google Maps.
Project maps
See the secondary visual record created from the places where these encounters occurred.
Make it your own
The DIY guide offers a framework for giving without concern and adapting the idea to your own place.
Reflections
Read writing on giving, art, connection, and what the project has revealed over five years.
2026 developments
The Giving Project is the origin of two new, separate forms of public giving: The Giving Gallery, a permanent physical venue, and Art Abandonment, an ongoing series of gift-wrapped works left in public places.
