• by Larissa Faw , July 14, 2020

As COVID-19 cases spike across the country, Dr. Anthony Fauci is once again finding himself transformed into a beloved pop culture icon.

This fan appreciation effort first started back in April when Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP) launched the #FauciArt initiative as an internal passion project led by Sinan Dagli, the agency's group creative director. He wanted to jumpstart a call to action to turn his image into a broader collection of art, promoting the qualified expert the world needed to listen to when COVID-19 hit  the nation with full force.

Dagli then turned to his fellow group creative director Nicole Michels McDonagh and BSSP chairman John Butler, among others, and then the entire agency, from finance to creative, as well as several ex-BSSPers, who contributed their own versions of #FauciArt.

Next, #FauciArt spread virally as Americans started creating their own art pieces that were then posted on the dedicated Instagram, @fauciart.

Over 50 well-known artists have contributed as well, with art ranging from dolls to cakes and even artwork on leather jackets. In fact, one piece by artist Jeremy Penn sold for $15,000, which was donated to True Hero Fund and No Kid Hungry.

Now, @Fauciart is taking to the streets thanks to donated out-of-home media from Billups. Artwork from Alfonso Ruiz, senior art director, BSSP and Kelly Bernard, art director, at the agency, will be erected in NYC’s SoHo and Midtown Manhattan and on various billboards across LA near major freeways.

Ultimately, the agency’s goal is for the campaign to continue inspiring creativity and art. Brooke Panian, account and strategy coordinator, BSSP says “The most surprising part of this initiative has been the wide range of creative mediums used by the artists who had participated. What started as a graphic design project has evolved to an art movement showing creativity in all shapes and sizes. #FauciArt has evolved way past our expectations and we can’t wait to see what creative idea comes next.”