Close Knit
I chose to illustrate this image of two girls knitting (in a Rush Arts program) because I think it really captures the idea that learning art in schools is about more than crayon drawings, it’s about creativity, something that transcends all class and race boundaries. I think the joy of making something is universal, and it’s an opportunity that every kid should have.
– Shepard
This print will go on sale on 8/20/09 at a random time and is $50 with proceeds going to the Rush Arts Charity. 18 x 24, Signed and Numbered Edition of 450. SOLD OUT
Click here for more info on the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation
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Weekend Pacifists at Subliminal Projects
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 / 8-11pm
WEEKEND PACIFISTS
New Works by Andy Jenkins, Mike Myers, Chris Pastras, Russ Pope, Michael Sieben
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 / 8-11pm
Exhibition Dates: August 22nd – September 19th, 2009
Weekend Pacifists, opening August 22nd at Subliminal Projects, showcases five artists whose lives and works have crisscrossed the skateboarding and lowbrow art worlds throughout the better part of the ’90s and ’00s. Collectively, their art is dotted with both whimsy and sociopolitics, not exactly the voice of a generation but mabe justa voice of a generation. Make that five voices, actually.
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Clean Energy for America PDF Download
MoveOn.org, OBEY Giant, Netroots Nation invite you to a special party to commemorate the unveiling of a new outdoor installation by Shepard Fairey “Clean Energy for America” which is directly across from The Warhol Museum.
We are also releasing a PDF of this image so you can download and print the Clean Energy for America image Here.
ATTENTION: This Download is not to be reproduced for Sales Merchandise or For-Profit Materials.
Date:
Friday, August 14th, 2009
Time:
7pm – 10pm
Location:
117 Sandusky Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5890
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WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE
A multi-media boxed set limited to 1,000 numbered copies worldwide signed by Woodstock organiser Michael Lang and Arlo Guthrie. Featuring box cover design by Shepard Fairey and contributions from over 65 artists and musicians. Volume 1 presents 176 pages of stories illustrated with original artist correspondence, contracts, memos and maps from Michael Lang’s personal archive and behind-the-scenes photography, including the work of Woodstock’s official photographer, Henry Diltz. Volume 2 publishes the unseen photographs of Dan Garson the 17-year old who shot the entire festival on a press-pass from Michael Lang. Also included within every set is an authentic 1969 Woodstock ticket, a 7″-vinyl pressing, a Peter Max print, specially commissioned essays and a facsimile site map. Printed and hand-crafted in Milan, Italy.
THE DEFINITIVE RECORD OF THREE DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
To find out more or to order your copy visit: www.genesis-publications.com
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Suu Kyi Prison Sentence Extended
The corrupt military regime in Burma has extended Aung San Suuu Kyi’s detention past the 2010 election date. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace prize winner is the leader of the pro-democracy party and movement in Burma and she was democratically elected in 1990 but has never been allowed to take office. Read the LA Times article, and purchase a poster or download the image in her support. Thanks.
-Shepard
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Health Care Reform
I have been feeling a bit down because the debate about health care reform seems to be dominated by paranoid dim wits who swallowed medical insurance lobbyist’s misinformation. However, there are great organizations trying to counter the greed, fear, and stupidity. Please check out this email from Brave New Films. They make great documentaries and deserve our support. MoveOn.org is also doing important things. Please support grassroots efforts. Thanks.
-Shepard
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Haters…
“Humanity” connotes empathy and good will toward fellow human beings. When I say sometimes I feel optimistic about the GOOD in humanity, yes, I am saying that I don’t think humanity frequently demonstrates much of its supposed inherent GOODness. I have been watching the town hall health care discussions disrupted by unhinged mobs. I have witnessed the intentional right wing dissemination of misinformation about health care reform. I thought this behavior was reserved for a minority of zealots and wing nuts. However, a cursory glance around the coverage of my Obama cover for Rolling Stone alerted me to how naive my assessment of the hatred and insanity quotient was. My Obama cover was not an endorsement or criticism… it posed a reasonable question. Some of the responses it conjured are terrifying. I did not fish for crazy comments on right wing websites. Many of the comments below are from places like the Rolling Stone site and the Huffington Post. My heart is in the pit of my stomach seeing the hateful, racist, fear based comments about Obama and health care reform that dominate the web. I try to find the good in people, and long after 9/11 I graded people on a curve for their poor behavior. Sadly, there is no excuse for the abundance of hatred currently on display. I implore sane people to read the comments below, which are the tip of the iceberg, and realize what we are up against if we want rational, thoughtful, humane behavior to prevail. Please stay focused and diligent in your efforts to restore “humanity” to a GOOD word. As a country we are better than this. Thanks for listening.
-Shepard
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Obama So Far
It’s been six-plus months since Obama took office, and the Rolling Stone cover is the first image of Obama I’ve created in that time. As a candidate, his vision and his message of shared civic duty were inspiring, but as president he faces an unbelievable pressure to accomplish what he set out to do, despite the reality that he can’t do it alone. Much like my “Hope” image was intended to express his vision and his intellectual diligence, I also wanted this new image to convey his focus, but with the added weight and stress of responsibility. Whether media like the New York Daily News are looking to fan conservative flames with “liberals think Obama is the messiah” talking points, or just saying things like that to create juicy headlines, it should be obvious that this image is not about anything divine, but about dealing with the real world job at hand. While he is undoubtedly our leader, the question I placed inside the presidential seal “Will he take bold action or compromise too easily?” is one that I think we all need to ask about ourselves and what we’re doing to work toward what we believe in. The pitfalls of “politics as usual” aren’t reserved for politicians.
However, a lot can and will change. As Joe Strummer of The Clash once said, “The future is unwritten.” In my illustration I make reference to Gilbert Stuart’s famous unfinished portrait of George Washington to capture the idea that, although we’re quick to judge, it’s too early to tell how Obama’s presidency will turn out. Hopefully Obama and all of us who have stood behind him will do everything we can to fill in our incomplete future the way we’ve pictured it.
– Shepard
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE ROLLING STONE ARTICLE
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT WHAT THE RS EDITOR HAD TO SAY ABOUT SHEPARD AND THE COVER
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Shepard Fairey, Z-Trip, Chuck D at the ICA
Here are some pics from the OBEY Experiment REDUX at the ICA for the Closing Reception of 20 Year Supply and Demand Exhibition. Thanks to Z-Trip and Chuck D for their support and incredible performance. If you werent there you missed out on something special.
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Shepard Fairey Guest DJ on KCRW
UPDATE, 8/3: If you missed Shepard on the KCRW, you can hear the session and read the interview in the archives here: http://tinyurl.com/shepardMBE
Shepard Fairey is going to be a guest DJ on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic Tomorrow (7/29, Wednesday) at 11:15 am (PST). If you don’t live in Los Angeles you can listen live here tomorrow. For more information please visit kcrw’s website.
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