“Art Never Forgets” is an idea that reinforces the role of art in recording and translating tragic moments in the history of humanity. Inspired by works from great masters such as Picasso’s Guernica, Goya’s 3 de mayo, and so many more, the Panamericana School of Art and Design’s initiative seeks to reintroduce into the public discussion the identities of those who had their lives destroyed by the mud and now seek justice, but have not found the support they need from the very deputies and senators who were elected to deal with situations such as these.

The campaign was designed to fuse billboards, a website, and social media with the aim of impacting as many politicians as possible. The billboards, painted with the mud that devastated the city of Mariana and strategically placed along the route that politicians take to get to Congress, were at the heart of the initiative. The process of making them was made into a documentary to be shared on social media, increasing awareness among everyday people as well as politicians. The site, which worked as a hub, connected all the parts of the initiative, highlighting a list of other organizations engaged in revitalizing the areas ravaged by the mud and offering people the chance to email the art to all of the senators and federal deputies in Brazil at one go.

The initiative, which began with billboards and the documentary about the making-of, soon took over social networks. Thousands of posts soon drew the attention of major media outlets, made themselves present in political action, and reverberated in daily life and art. On the campaign site, over 5,000 emails were sent directly to a specific deputy or senator, and more than 12,000 were sent to all of them at once. All this effort helped achieve the main goal of the initiative: many congresspeople were affected by the campaign and used social media to take a stance in favor of it, guaranteeing that a quorum would be met for the upcoming sessions of the parliamentary commission on the Mariana tragedy. And that was, in fact, what happened in the public hearing on May 5th, precisely 20 days after the billboards were first set up in the nation’s capital.