With “Big Facts Small Acts,” Atlanta-based Chemistry turned the normally hateful act of defacing street art into a coronavirus prevention campaign protecting the city’s community. It partnered with the city’s most famous street artists to cover their own murals with masks to encourage mask-wearing in the Black community and stop the spread of the disease.

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The effort started as a grassroots public service campaign funded by the $600 COVID-19 stimulus check of Sherri Daye Scott, a local activist, filmmaker and journalist who recognized the need to combat inherent distrust of messages from official medical sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, in communities of color.

Atlanta is known as a driving force in Black culture, and one of its most recognizable manifestations is the city’s street art. So, the campaign harnessed famous city murals, such as Fabian Williams’ portrait of Colin Kaepernick as St. Sebastian, covering his face with a mask, and worked with other artists, including Fahamu Pecou, to make yard signs featuring the likes of Malcolm X, promoting messages about staying safe.

With Chemistry’s help, which included adding a content series featuring an ER doctor with a stand-up comedy side hustle, the campaign grew into a community partnership with Emory Healthcare, a featured exhibit at the CDC’s David J Spencer Museum and a SXSW Panel.

While it garnered more than 118 million earned media impressions, the campaign more importantly reduced the transmission of the virus. According to Fulton County data, neighborhoods where the murals were located saw 16% fewer reported cases from July through August 2020.

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.