Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Relief For Haiti”?
Artist Statement
This print was made for www.artistsforpeaceandjustice.com. This is a collaboration with Studio Number One’s Cleon Peterson, Casey Ryder and Shepard Fairey. Photography by Tao Ruspoli. All proceeds of the sale of this print go to Haiti. Edition of 450, Signed and Numbered. $50, Signed and Numbered Release Date: 02/05/2010
Summary
Relief For Haiti is a 2010 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, a first edition of 450 published by Obey Giant. Released February 5, 2010 and signed and numbered at an original price of $50, the print was made for artistsforpeaceandjustice.com. It is a collaboration with Studio Number One's Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder along with Shepard Fairey, with photography by Tao Ruspoli. According to the source, all proceeds of the sale of this print go to Haiti. The work is a benefit edition created in response to the Haitian crisis, combining Fairey's graphic approach with a collaborative studio effort directed toward disaster relief.
Why It Matters
Relief For Haiti is one of Fairey's clearest examples of art mobilized for direct humanitarian aid. Made for Artists for Peace and Justice in response to the Haitian crisis, it is documented as a benefit edition in which all proceeds go to Haiti, a stronger charitable commitment than the partial-proceeds language attached to many cause prints. For collectors, this combination of total-proceeds benefit and named collaboration is meaningful: it is a joint effort of Studio Number One's Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder with Fairey, plus photography by Tao Ruspoli, situating it within his collaborative and socially engaged practice. The print embodies the rapid-response role that Fairey and his studio have played around crises and justice causes, turning the printmaking process into a fundraising tool. It anchors well within collections focused on his peace-and-justice and humanitarian work, and the collaborative authorship adds appeal for those tracking Studio Number One's collective output. As a documented all-proceeds relief edition tied to a specific historical moment, it carries provenance weight beyond its visual content and complements his other rights- and justice-oriented releases.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who value humanitarian and benefit editions with documented charitable intent, here strengthened by the all-proceeds-to-Haiti framing. The collaborative authorship with Studio Number One's Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder, plus photography by Tao Ruspoli, adds interest for those tracking Fairey's collective and studio work. At 18 x 24 inches it frames easily and fits collections organized around peace, justice, and disaster-relief causes. As a first edition of 450 it remains accessible. It pairs naturally with Fairey's other socially engaged and rights-themed editions, and its strong provenance as a crisis-response benefit print gives it lasting narrative appeal within a cause-focused collection.
Historical Context
Released in February 2010, Relief For Haiti responded directly to the Haitian crisis, made for Artists for Peace and Justice as an all-proceeds benefit edition. It reflects Fairey's recurring practice of rapid, cause-driven print releases and his collaborative work through Studio Number One, here with Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder and photography by Tao Ruspoli. The standard 18 x 24 inch edition of 450 is typical of his Obey Giant releases of the period. The print belongs to his broad humanitarian and peace-and-justice strand, demonstrating how he repeatedly converted his print platform into a fundraising mechanism around specific contemporary crises.
FAQ
What cause does this print support?
Relief For Haiti was made for Artists for Peace and Justice in response to the Haitian crisis. According to the source, all proceeds of the sale of this print go to Haiti, making it a dedicated benefit edition rather than a partial-proceeds release.
Who created this print?
It is a collaboration with Studio Number One's Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder along with Shepard Fairey, with photography by Tao Ruspoli. It was published by Obey Giant and released on February 5, 2010.
What is the edition size and format?
Relief For Haiti is a first edition of 450, an 18 x 24 inch screen print. It was released on February 5, 2010, signed and numbered, at an original price of $50.
Why is this print significant for collectors?
It combines a documented all-proceeds-to-Haiti charitable commitment with named collaborative authorship through Studio Number One and a specific crisis-response context. That provenance gives it narrative weight within collections focused on Fairey's peace-and-justice and humanitarian work.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.