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This April, the advertising for Durham’s free, two-day Art Walk consists itself of original “artwork”—fifty pieces worth—the individual creations of enthusiastic, if less-than-master, volunteer craftsmen. The campaign was conceived and directed by advertising agency, The Republik, Durham.

Art Walk, put on twice yearly by the private, non-profit Durham Arts Council, cross-promotes Durham’s downtown and the area’s arts community. The public is invited to drop in on both, as 200 local artists and performers set up shop, for two days, in downtown Durham’s galleries, restaurants, stores and businesses.

To create new buzz for this season’s Art Walk, and for the arts in general, The Republik designed an ambient campaign of people’s conceptual art, to supplement the straightforward, informational Art Walk signage posted by the Arts Council.

The Republik creative director Francis George loaded up a carful—about 30 lbs.—of scrap postcards, bottle caps, LPs, DVD?cases (“there were a lot of Will Ferrell movies,” he notes), greeting cards, clothing, paper clips, etc., which he then gave to a group of local Arts Council volunteers, along with cardboard and glue, and the instructions, “Make some art.” The volunteers, who’d been expecting considerably less creative chores, soon set about trying to outdo each other with their assemblages. In about 90 minutes, the campaign had 50 found-art masterpieces. Each was then stenciled with the Art Walk dates, “April 17 18,” nothing more, and placed in unexpected downtown Durham locations.

It was left to the public to make the connection from the mass, teaser “art” to Art Walk. Attendance at this spring’s Art Walk was more than two-and-a-half times last fall’s.

The pro-bono project, with a budget of basically zero, is The Republik’s first work for the Durham Arts Council. The Republik is an employee-owned advertising agency with offices in Durham, Charlotte, and in New York City. Clients include Consolidated Shoe, Lynchburg, Va.; Triumph Boats, Raleigh; Dixie Bones, Woodbridge, Va.; Wellcraft Marine, Cadillac, Mich.; Riley, Raleigh; Carver Boats, Pulaski, Wisc.; and Community Builders, Boston.