Shepard Fairey

"Artists covered the interior walls with their latest, most ambitious efforts, transforming a casual auld-lang-syne get-together into a state-of-the-art statement that ranged from classic tagging to new adventures in papering, printing, varnishing, installation and, in one impressive instance, crayon. There were lines around the block."

―Roberta Smith, The New York Times

In December of 2006, an unlikely group of nearly 100 street artists from all over the world came together to participate in an art show celebrating Eleven Spring Street, long a premiere destination on the international Street Art map. The New York Times wrote, "One of the best shows of the season flamed past just before Christmas: a weekend long display of graffiti created by artists from around the world at, and in honor of, 11 Spring Street." The methodology was mixed media to the max: Wheat paste, paper, spray paint, house paint, markers, metal objects, found objects…the result was chaotic yet undeniably arresting. Marc and Sara Schiller of the Wooster Collective curated the three-day event, calling the show Wooster on Spring. It featured street art superstars like Shepard Fairey and Swoon as well as emergent talents including JR, Prune, and Doze Green.

The result was a potent mix of artists who brought the street inside by re-claiming the walls for themselves, and a tipping point for what has become an international art world phenomenon. The three-day public viewing session was a landmark downtown event that drew crowds in the thousands, with people waiting up to five hours to get inside.

With an Introduction by Shepard Fairey, an Afterword by JR, and an essay from Randy Kennedy of The New York Times, Eleven Spring captures an important moment in Street Art’s history. All the works that were created for the show were subsequently covered up or destroyed by renovation. Eleven Spring allows these vibrant works to live again, ready for a new generation of admirers to enjoy and celebrate.… (mer)

Art for Obama is certainly a collector’s item for “fans” of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, as well as those who love art that makes a statement. It is a beautiful coffee table book with 150 full-color illustrations throughout. President Obama stirred a grassroots political movement throughout the country and also inspired artists, illustrators and graphic designers.

The book is edited by Shepard Fairey and Jennifer Gross. Shepard Fairey shot to international stardom when his iconic “HOPE” portrait of Obama which soon became the face of the campaign. Fairey received a personal thank-you note from Obama. Shepard Fairey (www.obeygiant.com) began his career with the ubiquitous OBEY GIANT graphics while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1989. He’s known as a street artist. He likes to spotlight street art and enterprise with his work. It can currently be seen in an exhibit at ICA Boston. The show’s next stop is the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Art for Obama includes collages, paintings, photo composites, prints, and computer-generated pieces from around the world by artist such as Ron English, David Choe, Kwaku Alston, Maya Hayuk, Justin Hampton, and Shel Starkman.

Ron English created an oil on canvas Abraham Obama—Barack Obama as Abraham Lincoln. “If you’re Will.I.Am, you make a hit song in support of the campaign,” English said. “If you’re Shepard Fairey, you create an indelible image of Obama. If you’re Sarah Silverman, you deliver a punch line with a purpose. Obama has also allowed a plethora of artists to interpret and disseminate his image, and those of us who had any involvement with the campaign were only nudged with one mandate—please stay positive.”

Diederick Kraaijeveld created a portrait of Obama out of vintage wood found on Mombasa beach in Kenya. Maya Hayuk made Here is Now out of acrylic and aerosol on Masonite and plywood. It is a mouth designed to allow people to put themselves inside the shouting instead of merely looking on. Out of vintage license plates, Aaron Foster created a collage Fifty States—One Union. Justin Kemerling made an ink and paint series on wood panels: HEAL for universal health care, UNITE about “green collar” economy, and CATCH for “renewable energy future.” Lisa Anne Auerbach knitted a very cool sweater and skirt. The front of the sweater reads My Jewish Grandmother is Voting for Obama. The back reads Chosen People Choose Obama. There are Jewish stars all around. It’s so amazing! Photographer Kwaku Alston traveled with the Obamas during the campaign and captured some fantastic pictures.

In photographing Obama Silhouette, Alston said: “I intended to hint at a familiar profile of JFK, the young presidential candidate who is unafraid of the challenges before him. The idea was to revisit the portrait, but to make a shift and try to create a timeless image.”

100% of profits from the book will be donated to the charity Americans for the Arts. (http://www.americansforthearts.org)… (mer)

Although I was familiar with both the Obey and the Obama campaigns, what actually got my attention and led to buying this book was the Orwell paperback covers that Fairey recently did for Penguin UK. The whole run of black/red political currency posters that are like a cross between Constructivism and William Morris are consistently stunning. The printing quality of the book itself is pretty shoddy, however. By the time I was done reading it, the back cover and the spine had completely come away from the text block. It's an unusually heavy book, but there are ways to accomodate that.… (mer)