Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wayfarin' Stranger”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch screen print. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $55, Limit 1 per person/household. The first 200 prints are included in the Americana Box set previously released and sold out. Limited numbers available. Release Date: 11/16/12 at a random time between 10am and 12 noon (Pacific Standard Time)
Summary
Wayfarin' Stranger is a signed and numbered 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2012 in an edition of 450, priced at $55. The source notes that the first 200 prints are included in the Americana Box Set, which was previously released and is sold out. Released on November 16, 2012, the title situates the work within Fairey's 2012 Americana series of folk-song-titled prints. The print pairs Fairey's graphic, poster-style aesthetic with American folk subject matter, and was limited to one per person or household at release.
Why It Matters
Wayfarin' Stranger is part of Fairey's 2012 Americana series, a coordinated group of prints named after traditional American folk songs that together examine national heritage, mortality, and the spiritual undercurrents of American folklore. The title references a well-known American spiritual about a traveler's journey, fitting the series' interest in the deeper and sometimes somber themes of folk tradition, which Fairey renders in his contemporary graphic idiom. As with its companions, the first 200 prints were folded into the sold-out Americana Box Set, tying the standalone edition to a curated collector grouping and rewarding those who track how Fairey sequences and bundles related works. The source attaches both pop-culture and politics-and-democracy themes to the print, consistent with Fairey's strategy of using Americana imagery to interrogate idealized national narratives. With an edition of 450 and an accessible $55 release price, the work was broadly obtainable, but its box-set lineage and series membership give it collector context beyond a lone image, making it a coherent component in an Americana-focused collection.
Collector Perspective
Wayfarin' Stranger appeals to collectors assembling Fairey's Americana series and those drawn to works grounded in American folk and spiritual music. Its tie to the sold-out Americana Box Set adds appeal for completists and provenance-minded buyers. At an original $55 in an edition of 450, it was accessible, and its 18 x 24 inch format frames cleanly alongside its companion folk-song prints. The work is most effective displayed within a grouped Americana wall, where the shared series concept reinforces each piece. The one-per-household release limit points to broad fan distribution rather than concentrated ownership.
Historical Context
Released on November 16, 2012, through Obey Giant, Wayfarin' Stranger is part of Fairey's Americana series of folk-song-titled prints. The series appeared as Fairey deepened his use of American iconography and political commentary, and its box-set packaging reflects his practice of grouping thematically linked editions for collectors. By naming the print after a traditional American spiritual, Fairey connects his visual work to the nation's musical and devotional heritage while engaging the broader mythology of American identity. The source's note that the 200-piece Americana Box Set sold out documents early collector demand for the grouped works, while the full edition of 450 kept individual prints accessible at release.
FAQ
What is the Americana Box Set connection?
The source states the first 200 prints of Wayfarin' Stranger are included in the Americana Box Set, which was previously released and is sold out. The remaining prints in the edition of 450 were released individually, linking the standalone print to the curated set.
When was it released and at what size and edition?
It was released on November 16, 2012, at a random time between 10am and 12 noon Pacific Standard Time. It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, published by Obey Giant, originally priced at $55 with a limit of one per person or household.
What series does it belong to?
It belongs to Fairey's 2012 Americana series of prints named after traditional folk songs. The source associates the work with both pop-culture and politics-and-democracy themes.
Is the print signed and numbered?
Yes. The source confirms a signed and numbered edition of 450, consistent with Obey Giant's standard practice for the Americana series.
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.