Why a Helena artist is dying his money blue–and giving it away

Helena artist Tim Holmes has dyed multiple denominations of U.S. bills blue to spread a message of conservation.

Tim Holmes has dyed multiple denominations of U.S. bills blue to spread a message of conservation.

Artist Tim Holmes has been working as a professional artist since the 1970s, and he’s spent much of that time as a sculptor. He’s working in a different medium now, however–money.

Holmes is dying thousands of dollars of his own money blue and giving it away. He stamps each bill with the sentence “Based on the value of a clean world!”

Each bill also directs its recipient to the website bluebills.us

He hopes spreading the bills will prompt discussions about environmentalism.

Holmes will be giving away his blue bills, while supplies last, at his Helena studio at 446 N. Hoback Street at 9 AM on Saturday.

Tim Holmes holds up one of his blue dollar bills Thursday.

Tim Holmes holds up one of his blue dollar bills Thursday.

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