The Illuminator Art Collective was conceived of during the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City in 2011. Given an initial monetary grant from Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's, the group purchased and retrofit a Ford cargo van to hold and maneuver a 12,000-lumen projector. The collective typically uses the van to aid existing political movements and has worked with large political organizations such as Greenpeace but typically assists grassroots movements in and around New York City. Their work has been covered by the U.S. East Coast and the British media.