Recently I watched a documentary about Running Fence, a project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that they worked on from 1972 to 1976. You might know them from The Gates in Central Park, or when they wrapped the Arc de Triomphe or the German Bundestag in fabric. Their specialty: monumental, ephemeral art.

Running Fence stood 18 feet high and stretched 24.5 miles through Sonoma and Marin counties in Northern California. It cut across farmland and hills before disappearing into the ocean. The fence stood for only 14 days.

It’s beautiful on its own terms. The way light passed through the fabric, how it moved with the wind - it created a striking, organic effect. That long white line rolling through the hills had a quiet, elegant power.

The documentary deepened my appreciation for their work. Christo and Jeanne-Claude believed that in the 20th century, art wasn’t just the final piece. It was the entire process. The interactions with construction crews, local governments, ranchers. The town meetings, the political debates, the media coverage. The art lived in those moments too.

This area of California is one of my favorite places in the world, and I often return to see the scenery.

They self-funded everything. By selling drawings and materials related to each piece, they maintained full creative control.

In some ways, their model anticipated the 21st-century creator economy. Artists now build direct connections with patrons online—on YouTube, Substack, Patreon. Some, like Craig Mod, run their own membership programs. This direct model didn’t exist for most artists back then.

But there’s a key difference. Their work, though privately funded, lived in public space and shaped real communities. Most modern creators focus on digital content tailored to their audiences. I haven’t seen the same kind of large-scale, physical work emerging from this space.

Who will pick up where Christo and Jeanne-Claude left off? Who will bring physical presence back into creative work? Some YouTubers have hosted in-person events, usually entertainment-focused, but they hint at the potential. In a digital-first world, real-world experiences feel more vital than ever.