Shepard Fairey, “OBEY” Street Artist and Designer

This segment profiles Shepard Fairey, a contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, calls him one of today’s best known and most influential street artists. He first became known for his “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign. His work became more widely known in 2008 for his Barack Obama “HOPE” poster. 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. Fairey became obsessed with art in 1984 at the age of 14. At that time he started to place his drawings on skateboards and T-shirts. In 1992, Fairey graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Arts in illustration. In addition to his successful graphic design career, Fairey also DJ’s at many clubs. Fairey 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. Fairey created the “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign in 1989, while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). This later evolved into the “Obey Giant” campaign, which has grown via an international network of collaborators replicating Fairey’s original designs. His “Obey” Campaign draws from the John Carpenter movie “They Live” which starred pro wrestler Roddy Piper, taking a number of its …