WNBA Wear Orange: Artist For Action
Partner:
WNBA
Year:
2024
The WNBA's Washington Mystics were looking for a partner to support and bring activities and talent to their annual Gun Violence Awareness Prevention game. They wanted to create an engaging, inspiring and uplifting halftime show and pregame activation in front of a sold out crowd at Capital One Arena with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark making her debut in the Nation’s capital.
With the successful launch of Artist For Action and it’s broad coalition of artists, AFA was well equipped to handle the task at hand. AFA identified and secured Bootsy Collins, legendary bassist, singer-songwriter and member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective to Co-Host alongside his wife Pepperminte Patti and musician turned Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, Mark Barden. With the go-go subgenre of funk music originating in Washington DC in the mid '60’s to late '70’s, the fit couldn’t have been more appropriate. Additionally, AFA partnered with the Non-Violence Project and Women of Type to create a one of a kind Washington Mystics custom 1 meter Knotted Gun Sculpture that will live at their arena permanently.
The sold out crowd of 20,000+ broke the record for the most well attended WNBA game in history. These fans were treated to an incredible halftime performance that electrified the crowd. The Mystics ownership, a multitude of celebrities and political officials were in attendance for this historic, Nationally-televised game. The Mystics leadership was delighted with the Knotted Gun emblazoned in Mystics red and blue along with the words “Run It Back” - an ode to their 2019 championship season. Attendees left the game with a sense of hope, knowing that gun violence is preventable.