The Free Art Dude is the persona of Curtis Widem, a New York City art teacher with a master's in art education from Adelphi University and a bachelor's from the University of Hartford Art School. In costume, he hands out free postcard-sized reproductions of famous, copyright-free artworks while talking with passersby about them, framing the project as public art education and outreach. He appears regularly at community events including the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, Gowanus Open Studios, Red Hook Open Studios, and gatherings organized by the Montague Street Business Improvement District and the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition.