Shepard Fairey facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Shepard Fairey
Fairey at the installation of THE BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE in Los Angeles on November 26, 2011
Born	Frank Shepard Fairey (1970-02-15) February 15, 1970 (age 55) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Rhode Island School of Design
Known for	Public art, Stenciling
Notable work	Andre the Giant Has a Posse Hope Rock the Vote OBEY Clothing
Spouse(s)	Amanda Fairey
Awards	Brit Insurance Design Awards Design of the Year AS220 Free Culture Award

Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American artist and activist. He is also the founder of OBEY Clothing. Fairey became well-known from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he created the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. He did this while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Fairey designed the famous Barack Obama "Hope" poster for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Many people consider him one of the most famous and important street artists. His artwork is displayed in major museums around the world. These include The Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His art style is known for being bold and iconic. It often uses strong images and idealizes them.

Early Life and Art Beginnings
Shepard Fairey's Art Career
Major Public Murals
Activism and Helping Others
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Shepard Fairey grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a real estate agent. He went to school in Charleston and later to Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. He graduated from there in 1988.

Fairey started making art in 1984. He would put his drawings on skateboards and T-shirts. In 1988, he moved to Rhode Island to study at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He earned a degree in Illustration from RISD in 1992.

Shepard Fairey's Art Career

The Obey Giant Sticker

Fairey created the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989. He was still a student at RISD then. This project later grew into the "Obey Giant" campaign. It spread globally with the help of other artists. Fairey wanted the Obey Giant to make people curious. He hoped it would make them think about their surroundings.

According to the Obey Giant website, the sticker itself has no special meaning. Its purpose is to make people react and think. It encourages them to look for meaning in the sticker. Fairey first wanted the stickers to be popular with his art and skateboard friends. He was surprised when more people noticed and wondered about them. He realized his art could create a big impact.

Fairey's "Obey" campaign was inspired by the movie They Live. He took slogans like "Obey" and "This is Your God" from the film. He also created the OBEY clothing line from his sticker campaign. Fairey has said that other street artists have inspired his work.

After College

After graduating, Fairey started a small printing business. It was called Alternate Graphics in Providence, Rhode Island. He focused on printing T-shirts and stickers. This allowed him to keep making his own art. In 1994, he met filmmaker Helen Stickler. She made a short film about Shepard and his work. The film, "Andre the Giant Has a Posse", was shown at film festivals worldwide.

From the late 1990s to 2001, Fairey lived in East Village, San Diego. There, he co-founded a marketing company called Black Market Design. During this time, he started using a style similar to Russian Constructivist art. This style was often seen in Soviet-era propaganda.

Mozilla's former logo, as designed by Shepard Fairey in 1998

Fairey was a co-founder of BLK/MRKT Inc. from 1997 to 2003. This design studio focused on "guerrilla marketing." They worked on big marketing campaigns for clients like Pepsi and Netscape. Fairey even designed the red dinosaur logo for mozilla.org.

In 2003, he started Studio Number One with his wife, Amanda Fairey. This agency designed album covers for bands like The Black Eyed Peas and The Smashing Pumpkins. They also created posters for movies like Walk the Line.

In 2004, Fairey joined artists Robbie Conal and Mear One. They created "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters. This was for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution." Fairey also co-founded Swindle Magazine.

Remote Fairey Andre In Barstow California Desert

In 2005, Fairey worked with DJ Shadow on a special box set. It included T-shirts, stickers, and a mix CD. He also had art shows in other countries, like Paris. In 2006, Fairey joined an advertising agency called Project 2050. He was featured on the cover of Advertising Age magazine. His book, Supply and Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey, was released in 2006.

In 2007, Fairey had a solo art show called "E Pluribus Venom." It was so important that it made the front page of the arts section in New York Times.

In 2008, Fairey designed posters for the album Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran. The money from the album helped the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. He also worked with DJ Z-Trip again for "Party For Change" shows. These shows supported presidential candidate Barack Obama.

OBEY Giant clothing, 2008
Nordstrom department store

In September 2008, Shepard Fairey had another solo show called "Duality of Humanity." It featured 150 artworks, his largest collection of canvas pieces in one show.

Fairey's first art museum show, Supply & Demand, was in Boston in 2009. It showed over 250 of his works. Fairey also created public art around Boston for the exhibition. He explained his main goal: "The real message behind most of my work is 'question everything'."

In 2011, Time Magazine asked Fairey to design its cover. It was to honor "The Protester" as Person of the Year. This was because of movements like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street. This was Fairey's second Time cover; his first was of Barack Obama in 2008.

In 2015, Fairey appeared on the TV show Portlandia. Later that year, he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. This was due to a warrant for allegedly damaging buildings in Detroit. He later turned himself in to the Detroit Police.

On September 17, 2015, Fairey had his first solo show in New York City in five years. It was called "On Our Hands." The paintings in this show focused on global issues. These included political problems, environmental neglect, and misuse of power.

Barack Obama "Hope" Poster

Shepard Fairey created a series of posters to support Barack Obama's campaign for president in 2008. The most famous one was the "HOPE" portrait. An art critic called it the most effective American political artwork in a long time. Fairey also designed a special image for Rock the Vote.

The Obama campaign did not officially work with Fairey on the "Hope" poster at first. This was because it was spread by a street artist. However, Fairey did talk with campaign officials after the poster came out. He said the first version had the word "PROGRESS" instead of "HOPE." The campaign later asked him to make a new version with "HOPE." They liked this revised poster and two others by Fairey that said "CHANGE" and "VOTE."

Fairey gave out 300,000 stickers and 500,000 posters during the campaign. He used money from selling posters and art to pay for this. He said he didn't keep any money from the Obama art.

In February 2008, Obama sent Fairey a thank-you letter. It said Fairey's art encouraged Americans to believe they could make a difference. Obama said Fairey's images had a big effect on people.

Shepard Fairey, Obama Hope Gold (from the Artists for Obama portfolio) 2008, serigraph, edition of 300, 14" × 10¼" (36 × 26 cm)

In November 2008, Chicago put up banners with Fairey's Obama "HOPE" portrait. Fairey also created a new image of Obama for Time magazine. This was used for their 2008 Person of the Year cover. The original "HOPE" portrait was on the cover of Esquire Magazine in 2009.

In January 2009, the "HOPE" portrait became part of the permanent collection at the U.S. National Portrait Gallery. It was put on display on January 17, 2009.

Fairey later admitted that he based the poster on a photograph by Mannie Garcia. He was given probation and a fine for issues related to this.

In 2009, Fairey's Obama portrait was in the book Art For Obama: Designing Manifest Hope and the Campaign for Change. Fairey also helped edit this book.

In 2015, Fairey told Esquire that Obama had not met his expectations. He mentioned things like drones and domestic spying.

Fairey also made a version of the "Hope" poster with a dog. He donated it to help pet adoptions. The poster featured a rescued shaggy dog. Four hundred limited edition prints were sold by Adopt-A-Pet.com.

The Mandela Mural

In 2014, Fairey painted a huge mural, nine stories high. It honored Nelson Mandela and the 25th anniversary of the Purple Rain Protest. This public artwork is on Juta Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. It looks over the Nelson Mandela Bridge. This was Fairey's first artwork in Africa. Many see it as a follow-up to the famous Barack Obama HOPE poster.

Patrick Gaspard, the American Ambassador to South Africa, said the mural is a "huge exclamation point." It reminds people of the fight for freedom and how Nelson Mandela brought about a peaceful change.

Honest Gil Fulbright

Honest Gil Fulbright SOLD Poster

Fairey made a version of the Obama HOPE poster for a funny politician named Honest Gil Fulbright. The actor who plays Fulbright is on the poster. The word "SOLD" is also on it. This refers to Fulbright's "honest" message: "I'm only in this thing for the money, but at least I'm honest about it."

Marianne

After the November 2015 Paris attacks, Fairey created a poster. It showed Marianne, a French national symbol. She was surrounded by the French motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, equality, fraternity). In June 2016, this design was painted as a mural in Paris. Fairey gave a copy of the poster to Emmanuel Macron. Macron hung it in his office when he became president of France.

In December 2020, a group painted over the mural. They crossed out the motto and added "Marianne pleure" (Marianne cries). They also added red tears to Marianne's face. Fairey said he supported those who protest against unfairness. He understood why they did it.

We the People Series

This series was made during the 2016 presidential campaign. It was a protest against Donald Trump's statements and policies. This artwork aims to promote gender equality. It also fights against discrimination towards minorities. Many people admire this work because it encourages respect for our shared humanity. The title comes from the U.S. Constitution. The series features portraits of Native Americans, African Americans, Muslims, and Latinas. It aims to defend their dignity.

Make Art Not War

This artwork is a mural for Urban Nation in Berlin, Germany. Fairey created this street art in 2014. It became a motto for street artists. It showed Fairey's support for anti-war movements and peace. The work was made like traditional street art, using spray paint. It includes many of Fairey's usual symbols. These include the black and red cartoon-like style and repeated symbols like roses.

Kamala Harris "Forward" Poster

Fairey created a poster to support Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign. He wrote on Instagram that we have a real chance to move forward. He mentioned wanting a healthy planet, fairness, and equality. He also hoped for access to medical care and fair immigration policies. Like his Obama "Hope" poster, he was not paid to create this artwork.

Major Public Murals

Peace Elephant (2011), West Hollywood Library, Los Angeles, California
Purple Project (2014), Johannesburg, South Africa
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (2016), Paris, France
Welcome Home (2017), Costa Mesa, California
Defend Dignity (2019), Los Angeles, California
We Shape The Future Rose Shackle (2019), London
Voting Rights Are Human Rights (2020), Milwaukee, WI
These Sunsets Are To Die For (2022), Munich, Germany
Peace Guard (2017/2023), Lisbon, Portugal
A Mosaic of Peace and Harmony (2023), Singapore

Activism and Helping Others

A 2016 poster by Fairey, shown during the 2017 Women's March, depicts a Muslim-American woman

In the early 2000s, Fairey started giving money to groups like the Chiapas Relief Fund and the ACLU. After the Obama campaign, he donated money from poster sales to the ACLU and Feeding America. In 2010, Fairey made a poster for the ACLU with actress Olivia Wilde. She was shown as the Statue of Liberty holding a megaphone.

The Obey Awareness Program started in 2007. It's part of Obey Clothing. This program lets Fairey support causes he cares about. He sells special merchandise and donates all the profits to chosen organizations. These groups have included Hope for Darfur, Feed America, and earthquake relief in Haiti. Environmental groups like the Surfrider Foundation have also received donations.

Fairey is on the advisory board of Reaching to Embrace the Arts. This group gives art supplies to schools and students who need them. In 2007, Fairey designed a logo for the "Music Is Revolution Foundation." He also joined their board. This group supports music education in public schools.

Shepard Fairey has type 1 diabetes. Because of this, he often helps groups that fund medical research. He supports Give to Cure, which works to find cures for human diseases faster. He also created a special print called "The Cure" for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). All the money from its sale went to the JDRF.

Every year since 2009, Fairey has donated his art to help the RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation. In 2011, he donated a piece called Mandala Ornament. It helped raise money for the foundation through an online auction. This money supports art education for thousands of children in New York.

In June 2009, Fairey made a poster to support Aung San Suu Kyi. This was to raise awareness about human rights in Burma. The money from this print helped the Human Rights Action Center.

Fairey also worked with artists and activists to create posters for the We Are Human Campaign. These posters spoke out against unfair talk about immigrants. Most of the money went to groups that help day laborers and fight for human dignity.

Fairey has also created art to help the David Lynch Foundation. This group supports education and world peace. In 2009, he made a poster for their "Change Begins Within" concert.

In 2009, Fairey worked with an LGBT group called FAIR. They auctioned "Defend Equality Love Unites" posters. This raised awareness and money for marriage equality for gay and lesbian people.

Fairey supports art movements like The Art of Elysium. This group helps artists and young people with serious illnesses through art. In 2010, Fairey donated an original art piece to help raise funds for them.

In May 2010, Fairey worked with Feeding America to create a public advertisement. It aimed to raise awareness about hunger in the U.S.

In 2011, Fairey became an honorary chair for the Young Literati. This group helps the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Fairey has created art and helped with events for the Library Foundation.

In 2013, Fairey did a public art project for the L.A. Fund for Education. His design, "Create Your Future," was on billboards and buses in Los Angeles. It sent the message that arts are important in schools.

In March 2014, Fairey created a portrait of Ai Weiwei. This was to support Ai Weiwei, whose passport had been taken by authorities in China. Money from the posters helped promote free speech.

Shepard Fairey has also made art to support school safety. Posters with his art were seen at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., in 2018.

Street art is often made without permission. This shows its rebellious nature. It challenges how people see their surroundings. This defiant style is a key part of Fairey's art. It also highlights the political messages in his work.

Personal Life

Fairey performing a DJ set in 2009.

Shepard Fairey lives in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. He lives with his wife, Amanda, and their two daughters, Vivienne and Madeline. Besides his art career, Fairey also works as a DJ. He performs under the names DJ Diabetic and Emcee Insulin. This is because he has Type 1 diabetes.

Images for kids

Promotional work by Fairey for the album and film Celebration Day served as a backdrop for a 2012 Led Zeppelin press conference