Shepard Fairey

-From Punk rock skateboarder to world renowned artist.

Shepard’s humble beginnings…

Frank Shepard Fairey was born in

Charleston, South Carolina on

February 15, 1970. Fairey began

to develop an interest in art in

1984. First, putting his designs on

Skateboards and T-shirts. Fairey

graduated with a Bachelors

degree of fine arts in illustration

in 1992. Fairey began his climb to

notoriety by creating the “Andre

the Giant has a Posse” sticker

campaign. This campaign later

evolved in to the Obey

movement.

The ArtistShepard Fairey is a contemporary artist, graphic

designer, and illustrator. Fairey does not limit

himself to graphic design and print work. He has

used other mediums such as paint on canvas,

wood, metal, and Rubylith. He also creates stickers.

Fairey has created over 500 different prints. The

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one

of today's best known and most influential street

artists.

From “Street Art” to more commercial

endeavors…..

Along with this successful graphic designing care. Fairey

is also DJ's at many clubs under the name DJ Diabetic and

Emcee Insulin, in reference to his diabetic condition.

Fairey was a founding partner, along with Dave Kinsey

and Phillip DeWolff, of the design studio BLK/MRKT Inc.

from 1997-2003. With Clients including Pepsi, Hasbro,

Mozilla, and Netscpae. In 2003 he founded the Studio

Number One design agency with his wife Amanda Fairey.

The agency produced the cover for The black eyed Peas

“Monkey Business” and the poster for the movie “Walk

the Line.” Fairey has also designed the covers for The

Smashing Pumkins’ album “Zeitgeist”, Flogging Molly’s

CD/DVD “Whiskey on a Sunday,” the Led Zepplelin

compilation “Mothersip” and Anthrax’s “The Greater Of

two Evils.”

Politically Conscious art works

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.” For the 2008

election fairy produced a series

of poster, including the iconic

Hope print. Fairey distributed

300,000 stickers and 500,000

posters during the campaign.

Shepard Fairey's influence

throughout the presidential

election was a factor in the

artist himself having been

named a Person of the Year for

2008 by GQ. In January 2009,

the "HOPE" portrait was

acquired by the US National

Portrait Gallery and made part

of its permanent collection.

“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

Critics Fairey has come under criticism for appropriating

others' artwork into his own while failing to

provide attribution for the work used. In 2009, it

was revealed that the HOPE poster was based on

a copyrighted photograph taken in April 2006 by

Mannie Garcia while on assignment for the

Associated Press. Erick Lyle has accused Fairey

of cynically turning graffiti culture into a self-

promoting ad campaign. Bloggers have criticized

Fairey for accepting commissions from

corporations such as Saks Fifth Avenue.