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* On January 20, 2009, Fairey made a radio appearance on the ''[[Fresh Air]]'' program from WHYY, an NPR affiliate, discussing his iconic Obama Hope poster, the official Obama inauguration poster and his many arrests (14 times) in connection with the installation of his "street" works. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99466584 |title=Spreading The Hope: Street Artist Shepard Fairey |work=Fresh Air |publisher=NPR |date=January 20, 2009 |accessdate=2009-01-21}}</ref>
* On January 20, 2009, Fairey made a radio appearance on the ''[[Fresh Air]]'' program from WHYY, an NPR affiliate, discussing his iconic Obama Hope poster, the official Obama inauguration poster and his many arrests (14 times) in connection with the installation of his "street" works. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99466584 |title=Spreading The Hope: Street Artist Shepard Fairey |work=Fresh Air |publisher=NPR |date=January 20, 2009 |accessdate=2009-01-21}}</ref>


* On February 2, 2009 he appeared on the PBS news/talk show "[[Charlie Rose]]."
* On February 2, 2009 he appeared on the PBS news/talk show "[[Charlie Rose]]." ([http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10047]).


==Further reading==
==Further reading==

Revision as of 22:30, 3 February 2009

Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey at a book signing for Supply & Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey
Born
Shepard Fairey
EducationRhode Island School of Design
Known forPolitical Artist , Stenciling
Notable workAndre the Giant has a Posse
Obey Giant
Hope
Rock the Vote

Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene[1] and became known initially for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. His work became more widely known in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, specifically his Barack Obama "HOPE" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists.[2] He usually omits his first name. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[3]

Biography

Shepard Fairey was raised in Charleston, South Carolina. His father is a doctor. Fairey became obsessed with art at the age of 14. At that time he started to place his drawings on skateboards and T-shirts. [4][5]

Fairey graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in illustration.

In addition to his successful graphic design career Shepard Fairey also DJ's at many clubs under the name DJ Diabetic and Emcee Insulin, as he has diabetes.[6]

His first art museum exhibition, aptly named Supply & Demand alongside his book, opens in Boston at the Institute of Contemporary Art in February, 2009.[7]

He sits on the advisory board of Reaching to Embrace the Arts, a not-for-profit organization that provides art supplies to disadvantaged schools and students.[8]

Fairey currently resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Amanda and daughters Vivienne and Madeline.

Life and work

File:Obeyshepard2.jpg
Fairey working with Hawaii-themed art at an official installation at the Makiki Skate Park
OBEY Giant clothing sold at an upscale Nordstrom department store

Fairey created the "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989, while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[9] This later evolved into the "Obey Giant" campaign, which has grown via an international network of collaborators replicating Fairey's original designs.[10] In a manifesto he wrote in 1990, and since posted on his website, he links his work with Heidegger's concept of phenomenology.[11] His "Obey" Campaign draws from the John Carpenter movie "They Live" which starred pro wrestler Roddy Piper, taking a number of its slogans, including the "Obey" slogan, as well as the "This is Your God" slogan. Fairey has also spun off the OBEY clothing line from the original sticker campaign.[12] He also uses the slogan "The Medium is the Message" borrowed from Marshall McLuhan.

After graduation, he founded a small printing business in Providence, RI called Alternate Graphics, specializing in t-shirt and sticker silkscreens, which afforded Fairey the ability to continue pursuing his own artwork. While residing in Providence in 1994, Fairey met American filmmaker Helen Stickler, who had also attended RISD and graduated with a film degree. The following spring, Stickler completed a short documentary film about Shepard and his work, titled "Andre the Giant has a Posse". The film premiered in the 1995 New York Underground Film Festival, and went on to play at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. It has been seen in more than 70 festivals and museums internationally.

Fairey was a founding partner along with Dave Kinsey and Phillip DeWolff of the design studio BLK/MRKT Inc. from 1997-2003 which specialised in guerilla marketing, and "the development of high-impact marketing campaigns".[13] Clients included Pepsi, Hasbro and Netscape[13] (for whom Fairey designed the red dinosaur version of mozilla.org's logo and mascot).

In 2003 he founded the Studio Number One design agency with his wife Amanda Fairey.[14] The agency produced the cover work for the Black Eyed Peas's album Monkey Business and the poster for the film Walk the Line.[14] Fairey has also designed the covers for The Smashing Pumpkins' album Zeitgeist [15], Flogging Molly's CD/DVD Whiskey on a Sunday, and the Led Zeppelin compilation Mothership.

In 2004, Fairey joined artists Robbie Conal and Mear One to create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective Post Gen. In 2005 Fairey collaborated with DJ Shadow on a box set, with t-shirts, stickers, prints, and a mix CD by Shadow. In 2005 also, he was a resident artist at the Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. In 2006, Fairey contributed eight vinyl etchings to a limited-edition series of 12" singles by alternative rock band Mission of Burma, and has also done work for the musical group Interpol.

In 2004, Shepard Fairey co-founded Swindle Magazine along with Roger Gastman.

"Supply and Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey," was released in 2006. In 2008, Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant): The Formative Years (1989 - 2008), edited by Sarah Jaye Williams, was published by Nerve Books UK, and praised by Fairey.[16]

In June 2007, Fairey opened his one man show entitled "E Pluribus Venom," at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The overtly political nature of Fairey's work in the show led to a bomb scare in which the thousands of gallery-goers had to be evacuated from the space.[citation needed] The show made the arts section front page in the The New York Times.[17]

In September 2008, Shepard opened his solo show titled "Duality of Humanity" at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco.[18] His third solo show with the gallery featured one hundred and fifty works, including the largest collection of canvases pieces in one show that he's done. With the reception nearing the November elections, Shepard hosted an after party donating all proceeds to the Obama campaign.[citation needed] At the after party, he created a live mural using his epic image of the Democratic Candidate.[citation needed] Before leaving the city, with over 50 street pieces, he went around the city with "The New York Times".[citation needed]

Barack Obama

File:Obamaposter.jpg
Barack Obama "HOPE" poster
File:Shepard Fairey Obama Poster in Denver Colorado.jpg
Building in Denver, Colorado with Fairey poster of Obama.

Fairey created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's candidacy for President in 2008, including the iconic "HOPE" portrait.[19][20][21] He also created an exclusive design for Rock the Vote. On November 5, 2008, the city of Chicago posted street banners throughout the downtown Loop business district featuring Fairey's Obama "HOPE" portrait. The banners say "Congratulations Chicago's Own Barack Obama, President-Elect of the United States of America".[22] Fairey created two additional images, "Change" and "Vote", for use by the official Obama Campaign, since his original image could not be seen to have any official affiliation with the presidential campaign since it had been "perpetuated illegally"[23] and independently by the graffiti/street artist.

Contrary to the above citation, Fairey has noted in several interviews that he had originally created the iconic poster with "PROGRESS" wording instead of "HOPE", but after a couple weeks of distribution, the Obama campaign contacted Fairey and asked that he change it to "HOPE" since that was more in line with the campaign's message, resulting in the campaign-approved "HOPE" poster.[24] Fairey distributed a staggering 300,000 stickers and 500,000 posters during the election campaign, funding his grassroots electioneering through poster and fine art sales."I just put all that money back into making more stuff, so I didn't keep any of the Obama money," said Fairey in a December 2008 interview.[25] Fairey received a formal letter of thanks from Barack Obama for his contribution to his 2008 presidential campaign. The letter stated:

I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can change the status-quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign. I am privileged to be a part of your artwork and proud to have your support. - Barack Obama, February 22, 2008

Fairey created the portrait of Barack Obama that TIME Magazine used as the cover art for its 2008 Person of the Year issue.[26] His influence, particularly with Obama's presidential campaign, contributed to him being named a Person of the Year 2008 by GQ Magazine.[7]

In January 2009, the 'HOPE' image was acquired by the US National Portrait Gallery, and became part of the permanent collection.[27] It was unveiled and put on display at the Gallery on January 17, 2009.[28]

Critical response

Fairey was questioned about criticism surrounding his use of images from social movements, specifically images created by artists of color, in an interview with Liam O'Donoghue for Mother Jones. Fairey cited his collaboration with Public Enemy, his funding of the Zapatistas movement, and his six-figure charitable contributions for Darfur assistance as counterpoints to the charges of exploitation. "I challenge anybody to fuck with that, know what I mean," Fairey stated. "It's not like I'm just jumping on some cool rebel cause for the sake of exploiting it for profit. People like to talk shit, but it's usually to justify their own apathy. I don't want to demean anyone's struggles through casual appropriation of something powerful; that's not my intention."[29]

Liam O'Donoghue retracted support for Shepard Fairey’s art days after the interview with Mother Jones[citation needed]. O'Donoghue posted an article, titled Shepard Fairey’s Image Problem, on several independent media sites.[30] The article explored Fairey's use of copyright protected images while at the same time defending his copyright protected works from being used by other artists and corporations. O’Donoghue suggested that Fairey’s art is embedded in corporate America and that his popularity with the “fickle youth market” has saved Fairey from being exposed for plagiarism[citation needed].

According to Erick Lyle, Fairey has cynically turned graffiti culture into a self-promoting ad campaign, turning street art into a cheap hustle that is no different from corporate advertising.[31] On the other hand, San Diego Union-Tribune art critic Robert L. Pincus says Fairey's, "is political art with a strong sense of visual style and emotional authenticity. Even in times when political art has ebbed, Fairey's has just the right balance of seriousness, irony and wit to fit the mood of the moment" .[32] "Following the example set by gallery art, some street art is more about the concept than the art" writes The Walrus (magazine) contributor Nick Mount. “'Fuck Bush' isn’t an aesthetic; it’s an ethic. Shepard Fairey’s Obey Giant stickers and Akay’s Akayism posters are clever children of Duchamp, ironic conceptual art".[33] However, Stephen Hellner of the New York Times suggested that Fairey’s political art is not any more unique than political art from the past, yet compares, in fact and in equal terms, to political art created by Andy Warhol. [34]

In a review of ‘E Pluribus Venom’ at Jonathan LeVine Gallery for the New York Times art critic Benjamin Genocchio stated that Shepard Fairey’s art comes off as “generic” despite the range of mediums and styles used by the artist. Genocchio went on to say that it was tempting to see Fairey’s art as just another luxury commodity.[35]

The director of Ad Hoc Art, Andrew Michael Ford, has stated for the New York Times that Fairey‘s practice does not “match up“ in the minds of people who view his work. Ford suggests that some people will view Fairey’s work as “very commercial”. In his criticism of Fairey’s art he went on to suggest that Fairey is “ripe” for criticism because he profits off of politically and socially charged works. Ford stated that despite his criticism he is a fan of Fairey work. [36]

Bloggers have criticized Fairey for accepting commissions from corporations such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Fairey defends his corporate commissions by saying that clients like Saks Fifth Avenue help him to keep his studio operational and his assistants employed.[4] Fairey has received criticism for his work in advertising while still calling himself a street artist[citation needed]. Fairey has acknowledged the irony of being a street artist exploring themes of free speech while at the same time being an artist hired by corporations for consumer campaigns. Of this he has stated that designers and artists need to make money.[37] "I consider myself a populist artist," Fairey says. "I want to reach people through as many different platforms as possible. Street art is a bureaucracy-free way of reaching people, but T-shirts, stickers, commercial jobs, the Internet -- there are so many different ways that I use to put my work in front of people."[4]

Appearances in other media

  • Shepard was on Episode #6007 of G4TV's Icons TV show which originally aired August 12, 2006
  • Peter Griffin in the TV show Family Guy is seen painting over the Sistine Chapel with the Obey Giant Icon. Season 4 Episode "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire". On the DVD commentary for this episode, show creator Seth MacFarlane mentions that he was classmates with Fairey at the Rhode Island School of Design.
  • Fairey's art is animated to the music from the N.A.S.A. single, Money[38], which is on their 2008 album, The Spirit of Apollo.
  • On January 20, 2009, Fairey made a radio appearance on the Fresh Air program from WHYY, an NPR affiliate, discussing his iconic Obama Hope poster, the official Obama inauguration poster and his many arrests (14 times) in connection with the installation of his "street" works. [39]
  • On February 2, 2009 he appeared on the PBS news/talk show "Charlie Rose." ([2]).

Further reading

  • E Pluribus Venom by Shepard Fairey (2008) Gingko Press.
  • Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant): The Formative Years (1989 - 2008), edited by Sarah Jaye Williams (2008), Nerve Books UK.
  • Obey: Supply & Demand, The Art of Shepard Fairey by Shepard Fairey (2006), Gingko Press.
  • Wortham, Jenna (September 21, 2008). "'Obey' Street Artist Churns Out 'Hope' for Obama". Wired News. CondéNet. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  • Bearman, Joshuah (October 1, 2008). "Street Cred: Why would Barack Obama invite a graffiti artist with a long rap sheet to launch a guerrilla marketing campaign on his behalf?,". Modern Painters. artinfo.com. Retrieved 2008-10-01.

See also

References

  1. ^ Zittoun, Tania, Transitions: Symbolic Resources in Development, IAP, 2006, p168. ISBN 1593112262
  2. ^ Upcoming Exhibitions, SHEPARD FAIREY, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
  3. ^ "Local woman’s grandson behind the Obama “Hope” poster ", Independent, South Carolina
  4. ^ a b c Rogers, John (2009-01-15). "Hope: Street artist Shepard Fairey's star rises". Boulder, CO: ColoradoDaily.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  5. ^ Booth, William (May 18, 2008). "Obama's On-the-Wall Endorsement". LOS ANGELES: washingtonpost.com. pp. M01. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  6. ^ Fairey, Shepard (2007-06-21). "Shepard Fairey, Street Artist" (Interview). Interviewed by Signore, John Del. Gothamist. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  7. ^ a b Crowe, Anthony (2009-01-14). "Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand". Boston Happenings Examiner. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  8. ^ "About us". Reaching to Embrace the Arts. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  9. ^ Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility, Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p223. ISBN 1581152655
  10. ^ Ian Noble, Picture Perfect: Fusions of Illustration & Design, Rotovision, 2003, pp128-9. ISBN 2880467543
  11. ^ Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility, Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p224. ISBN 1581152655
  12. ^ "They Must Obey", STYLE SCOUT, LA Times, December 9 2007.
  13. ^ a b Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility, Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p225. ISBN 1581152655
  14. ^ a b studionumber-one.com
  15. ^ "THE SMASHING PUMPKINS TEAM WITH SHEPARD FAIREY FOR 'ZEITGEIST' COVER". Obey Giant. May 23, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  16. ^ "The philosophy of Obey", obeygiant.com. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  17. ^ Genocchio, Benjamin (2007-06-29). "'E PLURIBUS VENOM'". New York Times. p. 24. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  18. ^ Ryzik, Melena (2008-10-01). "The Street Artist Shepard Fairey Moves Closer to the Mainstream but Is Still Rebellious". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  19. ^ Beer, Jeff (2008-01-30). "Shepard Fairey: Obey Obama. The designer's endorsement as a striking poster series". Creativity Online. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  20. ^ "Obama's On-the-Wall Endorsement". LOS ANGELES: washingtonpost.com. May 18, 2008. pp. M01. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  21. ^ Fairey's official site
  22. ^ City Hall reacts to Obama win, ABC WLS-TV, November 5, 2008
  23. ^ "Shepard Fairey: Purveyor of Hope". SuicideGirls.com. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  24. ^ "'Obey' Street Artist Churns Out 'Hope' for Obama". wired.com. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  25. ^ "Shepard Fairey: Purveyor of Hope". SuicideGirls.com. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  26. ^ "TIME Magazine Person of the Year 2008". time.com. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  27. ^ "Gallery gets iconic Obama image". BBC. 08 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Now on View: Portrait of Barack Obama by Shepard Fairey". Face2face.si.edu. 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  29. ^ Fairey, Shepard (March/April 2008 Issue). (Interview). Interviewed by Liam O'Donoghue. Mother Jones http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2008/03/interview-shepard-fairey.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21. {{cite interview}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ^ O'Donoghue, Liam (2008-06-14). "Shepard Fairey's Image Problem". publish.nyc.indymedia.org. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  31. ^ Erick Lyle in Josh MacPhee, Erik Reuland, Realizing the Impossible: Art Against Authority, AK Press, 2007, p87. ISBN 1904859321
  32. ^ Pincus, Robert L. (2007-12-30). "Social ferment not always reflected in fermentation of artworks". SignOnSanDiego.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  33. ^ Mount, Nick (September 2008). "The Renaissance of Cute, issue 2008.09". Walrusmagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  34. ^ Heller, Steven (2008-02-15). "Beyond Red, White and Blue". New York Times / Campaign Stops. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  35. ^ Genocchio, Benjamin (art critic) (2007-06-29). "'E PLURIBUS VENOM' review". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  36. ^ Ryzik, Melena (2008-10-01). "The Street Artist Shepard Fairey Moves Closer to the Mainstream but Is Still Rebellious". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  37. ^ Reyhan Harmanci (2006-03-30). "VISUAL ARTS OBEY YOUR MUSE-". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  38. ^ Hogan, Marc (2008-12-08). "N.A.S.A.: "Money"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  39. ^ "Spreading The Hope: Street Artist Shepard Fairey". Fresh Air. NPR. January 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-21.

External links

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