Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Urban Roots”?
Artist Statement
I created this poster for the documentary Urban Roots. It’s a great film and I know from working with these same folks on the 11th Hour that they are great grassroots activists. 18 x 24? Screen print signed and numbered edition of 450 $60 Limit 1 per person/household Release date: Friday July 29, 2011
Summary
Urban Roots is a 2011 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, signed and numbered in a first edition of 450, with a limit of one per person or household. Published by Obey Giant and released July 29, 2011 at $60, Fairey created the poster for the documentary Urban Roots. In his note, he praises the film and the grassroots activists behind it, the same collaborators he worked with on The 11th Hour. The image supports a documentary about urban agriculture and community-driven renewal, aligning the print with Fairey's recurring themes of activism, community, and environmental engagement.
Why It Matters
Urban Roots exemplifies Fairey's frequent practice of lending his graphic voice to documentary films and grassroots causes. The source records that he made the poster specifically for the Urban Roots documentary and that he had previously collaborated with the same activists on The 11th Hour, giving the print a documented lineage within his film-and-activism work. The film's subject, urban agriculture and community-led renewal, connects the piece to themes of environmental stewardship and local empowerment, broadening Fairey's activist range beyond purely political critique. As a signed and numbered edition of 450 with a one-per-household limit, it balanced accessibility with controlled distribution. For collectors, it anchors the community-and-activism thread in Fairey's catalog and pairs naturally with his other cause-driven and film-collaboration releases from the early 2010s. The explicit, source-confirmed tie to a documentary and to named grassroots activists distinguishes this entry from a generic catalog listing, situating the print as a deliberate act of solidarity with a specific community movement rather than a standalone studio image.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who value Fairey's film-collaboration and community-activism work, particularly pieces tied to documentaries and grassroots movements. Its connection to the Urban Roots film about urban agriculture gives it a distinctive thematic angle within his catalog. The signed and numbered edition of 450 and one-per-household limit make it accessible while signaling controlled distribution. At 18 x 24 inches it displays cleanly alongside other Fairey cause-driven and environmental prints. Buyers who appreciate provenance will value the documented link to the documentary and to the same activists Fairey worked with on The 11th Hour, which adds interpretive depth beyond the image itself.
Historical Context
Urban Roots comes from Fairey's prolific 2010-2012 period of film-collaboration and issue-driven prints, when he regularly created posters supporting documentaries and activist campaigns. The source ties it directly to the Urban Roots documentary and to grassroots activists he had previously worked with on The 11th Hour, placing it within a continuing relationship rather than a one-off. Its focus on urban agriculture and community renewal connects it to the environmental and community-activism strands of his catalog. The print reflects Fairey's broader method of aligning his street-rooted aesthetic with specific social and ecological movements through cause-driven poster releases.
FAQ
What film is this print connected to?
Fairey created Urban Roots as a poster for the documentary Urban Roots, which focuses on urban agriculture and community renewal. In his note he praises the film and the grassroots activists behind it, the same collaborators he worked with on The 11th Hour.
What is the edition size?
Urban Roots is a signed and numbered first edition of 450 screen prints, published by Obey Giant and released July 29, 2011 at $60. The release carried a limit of one per person or household.
What are the dimensions and medium?
The work measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print published by Obey Giant. It was made specifically to support the Urban Roots documentary as part of Fairey's film-collaboration releases.
Why did Fairey make this poster?
According to his note, Fairey admired the Urban Roots film and the grassroots activists behind it, having worked with the same people on The 11th Hour. The print reflects his recurring practice of supporting documentaries and community movements with cause-driven posters.
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.