Shepard Fairey

These Sunsets are to Die For

Stencil collage and Mixed media on canvas

8 x 10 feet



Toxic Dept

Stencil collage on canvas

30 x 43 inches



Proud Parents Canvas

Screen collage with hand painting on canvas

30 x 43 inches



War by Numbers

Hand Painted Multiple

Screened Collage on Wood

Image size: 21 x 24 inches


Shepard Fairey is currently one of the most prolific artists/graphic designers/illustrator of our time. He was born Feb 15th 1970 and attended RISD from 1988 to 1992 and received a BFA in Illustration while attending. He became interested in art when he started drawing images and putting them on skateboards and t-shirts. He started out as a successful graphic designer and created many iconic images of youth culture while in and as a recent graduate of RISD. His first major breakthrough was his "Andre the Giant has a Posse" Sticker campaign. He then moved on to his "Obey" campaign that was a huge success in his career. He worked commercially for over a decade and then created a poster that became such a national icon, that the soon to be president of the United State of America used it for his campaign, Barack Obama. He created the "Hope" poster from a newspaper photograph of the Senator that eventually became an emblematic sign of the changing of America.

Gallery

Interview
Website

New Urbanism

"New Urbanism"

"City riding is not a good way to live a long and peaceful life. Its ecstasies are the sort that soldiers know after battle when they have danced with the beast. To ride through the congested heart of Manhattan at rush hour is to dance with the beast. You compass extremes of terror and exhilaration. You are initiated into an occult world no passenger of buses, cabs, and trains can know. At its deepest, riding in the city becomes a way of seeing, a form of self-expression, a consciousness."

-Chip Brown, from the article "A Bike and a Prayer"

Brown, Chip. "A Bike and a Prayer." Transalt.org. Web. 26 Aug. 2009.

I chose this article due to the fact that it expresses the culture what it deals with on an everyday basis. It puts into word the risks and rewards of a bike centric culture of New York City, arguably one of the most congested and populated areas of the modern world. It outlines a cultural appeal to the bike culture of America and what draws people to its ways.

I felt that the word "New Urbanism" is a good descriptor for what the cultural youth of America is coming to. It's a movement that started in the 1990s that believes that cities should take a new approach to the design and maintenance of cities these days, instead of focusing on car-centric on developments, that cities should focus their energies on to more pedestrian and non vehicle modes of transportation to reduce the costly effects of emissions of autos and rely on a more positive way of transport.

The Little Egypt Trailer Park Study

Southern Illinois also known as "Little Egypt" is the extreme southern region of Illinois. With the area code 618, the southern part of Illinois is geographically, culturally, and economically different from the rest of the state. Settled by migrants from the Upland South, historically it was more affiliated with the southern agricultural economy and rural culture. Southern Illinois is culturally affiliated with Western Kentucky, Southwestern Indiana, and Southeast Missouri.

Southern Illinois largest culturally influential cities include, St. Louis, Missouri, Evansville, Indiana, Paducah, Kentucky, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Belleville, Illinois, and Carbondale, Illinois.

The area has a population of around 1.2 million people[1], living mostly in rural Bible Belt towns and cities separated by extensive farmland and the Shawnee National Forest. Another area of denser population also resides in the Metro-East, which is suburban towns and small cities east of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Ghostbike Project

"Jennifer Ellen Futrell, 29, Died Saturday, October 4th, 2008" Louisville, Ky

The text reads:

Jennifer Ellen Futrell

29, died Saturday, October 4, 2008

She is survived by her mother, Barbara Hedspeth; father, James Futrell; sister, Elizabeth Futrell; step mother, Katherine Futrell; grandparents, Joyce Pearce, of Poplar Bluff, MO and Faye Futrell and great-grandmother Opal Evitts, both of Paducah, KY. Also Surviving are the many, many dear friends in her "chosen" extended family.

An avid musician, writer, chef, bicyclist, activist and organizer in Louisville's vibrant alternative arts community, Jennifer (Jen, to her friends) was a passionate supporter of her city.

She talked and walked a unique path through life, touching many and always allowing herself to be changed and nurtured by others.

The victim of a tragic accident, her last act of giving, aside from the cherished memories of her brief but significant life, was the gift of life to others through the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates Program.

Donations in lieu of other expressions of sympathy may be made to Seeds of Peace or Safe Streets Louisville.

"Rest well, our sweet warrior child. You were and always will be loved and cherished."



"Mandy Annis, Finished God's Race in 24 Years" Chicago, IL




"Nancy Sellers, 48, Died Wednesday, July 9, 2008. (Removed)"
Death caused by Janell Gehrke, who was drunk driving. Raymond, WI




"Kevin Bragg, 26, Died May 4, 2008" Norfolk, VA




"Patricia Blundon, 57, August 7, 2008. (Removed)"
Patricia Blundon was a victim of a hit-and-run, there are no suspects. Caledonia, WI



"Daniel Duncan, 18, Died Wednesday, September 3, 2008"
Killed by a hit-and-run Truck driven by Roger Lee Harrison Jr. who was driving under the influence. Hinkelville, WV




"Justin Hammons, 22, Died Sunday, August, 30, 2008. (Removed)"
Death caused by a hit-and-run driver who has yet to be identified. Caledonia, WI




"Vance Kokojan, Thursday, July 17, 2008" Louisville, KY




"Vance Kokojan, Thursday, July 17, 2008" Louisville, KY




"J. Cecil Jarvis, 58, May 22, 2008" Lewis County, WV in Stonewall Jackson State Park