NONE DOLLAR PHOTO FEST… The Elevator Pitch
Have Fun! Take Photos!! Win Art!!!

I’ve printed a bunch of NONE DOLLAR BILLS. They’re like ridiculous PLAY MONEY from some un-winnable board game. They’re cool. They say NONE DOLLAR on them, there’s loads of zeros, and they’ve got a skull in the middle instead of some old dude. Bundles even have a little paper band around them like they’re all official.

Now I need YOUR HELP to turn this pile of absurd paper into a PUBLIC ART PROJECT. I’d like to get these NONE DOLLAR BILLS really circulating. A bit like “real” money circulates. You know, NONE DOLLARS carried around in wallets, used as bookmarks, fueling interactions, left as thought-bombs in strange places. Fun for you. Fun for me. Fun for anyone stumbling upon one of these confounding pieces of paper for the first time.

Please COLLABORATE WITH ME and help bring my artwork to life. Here’s the deal... distribute NONE DOLLAR BILLS, photograph them out in the world, and post those photos to social media. Every month I’ll award prizes to my favorite photos, and at the end of the year, I’ll award three GRAND PRIZE WINNERS original, fancy, desirable currency collages

COOL, SO HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

It's easy. Here's the gist...
1) Get some NONE DOLLAR BILLS and DO something with them. There are ways to get them for CHEAP or FREE.
2) PHOTOGRAPH them somewhere cool, fun, in situ, unexpected, metaphoric. Casual or staged. Serious or funny.
3) SHARE YOUR PHOTOS. Post images to social media with the hashtag #NONEDOLLARBILL and my social media handle @MARKWAGNERiNC. For prize consideration, you'll need to REGISTER as a participant and send photos via email as well.

REGISTER AS A PARTICIPANT NOW!!!

Need more info??? Scroll down for DEEPER DIVES into NONE DOLLAR ACQUISITION, the AWARDING OF PRIZES, or to get yourself a little PHOTOGRAPHIC INSPIRATION.

NONE DOLLAR PHOTO FEST... A DEEPER DIVE.

More FAQ-y information about the NONE DOLLAR PHOTO FEST can be found below. including answers to the questions...
-Where do I get none dollar bills?
-What kind of photos are you looking for?
-Prizes!!! What’s that you say about prizes???
-What are your plans for all our photos?
-Please be safe and be kind

WHERE CAN I GET SOME NONE DOLLAR BILLS?

Maybe you have some already... if so, just go ahead and use those.

If you see me on the street, I'm happy to hand you some.

I intend to spontaneously send FREE NONE DOLLAR BILLS to folks sharing great photos. Register as a participant so I know where to mail yours.

I stick a short stack of NONES in with every order from my WEB SHOP, so if you get yourself a poster, print, t-shirt, or whatever, you'll also get a few NONES to play around with.

Short on REAL DOLLARS? I offer POSTAGE ONLY nones in my WEB SHOP. You don't get a giant stack, but these will only set you back a couple bucks. Seriously broke but excited to participate? Shoot me an email and i'll just send you some.

You can BUY BUNDLES in quantities of 25, 100, or 500 from my WEB SHOP. These are the full NONE DOLLAR experience with letterpress printed belly bands. I do NEED some folks to actually purchase bills in order to make this all work, and I'm grateful to everyone who shows their support in this way.

For those seeking LARGER QUANTITIES still... like RIDICULOUS piles, stacks, mounds, heaps of thousands of bills... we offer sculptural piles of NONES on scales, plinths, and palettes. Small-big piles are suitable for individual ownership as striking desk, shelf, or counter sculptures. Big-big piles suitable for gallery and museum display. They also function as grab-and-goes or in a retail environment as P.O.P. displays.

We welcome inquiries from RETAIL PARTNERS looking to purchase quantities of NONES at wholesale prices. So take note galleries, book and novelty stores, museum gift shops, and coin shops. We will append a list of retail partners HERE as shops sign on.

I've got a few NONE DOLLAR events in the planning stage... I'll keep my STUDIO EMAIL LIST and none dollar photo participants informed as plans solidify. If you'd like to host something or add NONE DOLLAR BILLS to an event you already have planned, please reach out.

We are certainly happy to entertain suggestions if you're looking for something off-menu. If you'd like to fire, say, a thousand NONES out of your CONFETTI CANNON on WALL STREET, we'd definitely like to hear from you.

WHAT KIND OF PHOTOS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

I can't really say EXACTLY what i'm looking for. That's the nature of COLLABORATION. I bring myself to the table. And you bring yourself. I'm basically just asking you to breath some life into my art. Show me your take on all this.

Good is good. I want to see a bunch of photos, but the winners will have what any good image has: some composition, some lighting, some whatever. But they'll also have some humanity. If possible some commentary, some drama, some irony, some humor.

I KNOW the none dollar bills can be a good thought-bomb. A good conversation starter. They're ready to inject a moment of UM into anyone's day. Ready to start scores of fruitful discussions or chains of thought. I'd like you to show me what that looks like in your world. Casual or staged. Sad or funny. Trite or profound. Elegant or squalid.

I'm working on a larger BRAINSTORM-Y list of DREAM none dollar photos for those who might need a little help getting their proverbial creative juices proverbially flowing. When that's available, there'll be a link HERE.

PRIZES!!! WHAT'S THAT YOU SAY ABOUT PRIZES?

So what's in it for YOU. Well, in addition to any emotional appeal this might have for you... any fun, satisfaction, creative itch getting scratched, real and/or imaginary sense of community, what have you… I offer you tangible rewards. Things. Swag. Booty.

This is a meritocracy, not a raffle. Every month from now until the end of the year, i will send prizes for the BEST none dollar photographs i see. At the very least, these will be t-shirts, books, sets of posters, prints... the best swag i've got. Spontaneous prizes will be awarded on-the-spot if i see something awesome. If i'm really blown away by something, i might even send, say, a small original collage. And LOTS of extra NONES to encourage clever photographers in their good works.

At the end of December 2025, i will choose a winning photo and two runners-up and award each of these collaborators a framed, ready to hang, awesome, original currency collage. These will be real-deal, collector worthy, desirable artworks. One will be THE original collage that's printed on the NONE DOLLAR BILL. Still working out the details, but basically, the more NONES DISTRIBUTED the better the prizes.

Go ahead take photos and post away!!! But if you'd like consideration for prizes, you'll need TO REGISTER as a participant and email us your photos too. Registration is relatively painless. We need to know how to contact you, how to credit your photos properly, and where to send prizes. Submitting photos via email will ensure we don't accidentally miss them on social media.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH ALL THESE PHOTOS?

I am a staunch advocate for artists rights. Make no mistake, by taking these photos YOU are the artist, and i will do all in my power to respect and acknowledge your efforts.

By submitting photos, i will assume your tacit permission to share those photos on social media, my website, and in emails. I will never do so without crediting you. Any usage of your images beyond this and i will seek your approval and offer compensation.

I'm expecting great things from you, and i just know i'm going to want to use some of these images... in zines, in books, in art prints, on billboards, in i-don't-know-quite-yet but something.

In every case i will treat photographers as valued collaborators, keep them in the loop on developing plans, and allow them final say on use of their images. Compensation for hypothetical projects may come in the form of copies of the thing produced and or usage fees clearly worked out before any publication or product comes to fruition.

PLEASE BE SAFE & PLEASE BE NICE.

I'd like us all to have fun with this.

Field work can be dangerous. Street/graffiti artists know this. Wheat pasting is art to some but vandalism to others. As much as I'd love to see, say, a photograph of an NONE DOLLAR BILL tucked under the windshield wiper of a police car, I don't want anyone getting hurt over this project. So please BE SAFE.

Also, don't be a jerk to the un-empowered. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people I'd be fine being a jerk to, but don't hand a NONE DOLLAR BILL to a panhandler. And if you think its funny to hand out NONE DOLLAR BILLS to unhoused people, I'm going to effing block you. Unless you hand them some for-realsie money too, and use the occasion to connect and empathize.

Don't use a none dollar bill in place of a tip. If anything, use it IN ADDITION to your tip. Bartenders, baristas, buskers, waiters, and all the other service providers in our lives deserve our respect, our gratitude, AND our gratuity.

Best wishes,
Mark