Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Defend Dignity (Standard Edition)”?
Summary
Defend Dignity (Standard Edition) is a 2017 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches in a large-format standard edition, associated with a Kickstarter release. The source provides no description text, so detailed visual and message information is limited. Its title and 2017 dating appear to align with Fairey's dignity and human-rights messaging from that period. The edition size is not stated in the source. It was made available on January 17, 2017 at a listed price of $100.
Why It Matters
Defend Dignity (Standard Edition) appears to be one panel in Fairey's coordinated 2017 set of large-format screen prints released through a Kickstarter campaign. The title's call to defend dignity aligns with the human-rights and solidarity messaging Fairey emphasized after the 2016 election, though the missing source description means the specific imagery cannot be confirmed. Its collector relevance is rooted in its tight grouping with 'Protect Each Other' and 'Greater Than Fear,' which share its exact date, 18 x 24 dimensions and crowd-funded origin, indicating a campaign rather than an isolated release. Because the description is absent and the edition size unstated, claims about scarcity, imagery and impact should remain cautious. Its appeal rests on its likely role within Fairey's accessible, public-facing activist output of 2017 and on its value to collectors completing the matched large-format trio. As with its companions, it is best framed as a representative campaign piece, attractive for set completion and thematic display rather than as a singularly documented marquee print.
Collector Perspective
This print is aimed at collectors of Fairey's activist campaign work who want to complete the matched 2017 large-format set with Protect Each Other and Greater Than Fear. At 18 x 24 inches it offers strong presence for human-rights or solidarity-themed display. Because the source lacks a description and edition size, finer details should be treated cautiously and the work valued largely through its grouping. The $100 listed price and Kickstarter origin signal an accessible, campaign-oriented release. Buyers seeking fully documented standalone prints may prefer others, but for set-builders assembling Fairey's coordinated 2017 solidarity imagery, it completes a logical trio with clear thematic fit.
Historical Context
Defend Dignity (Standard Edition) appears to sit within Fairey's 2017 wave of activist, crowd-supported prints, here tied to a Kickstarter release. Its shared January 17, 2017 date and matched dimensions with companion titles point to a coordinated solidarity series produced as Fairey leaned into participatory activism. Without a source description, its exact placement is stated cautiously, but the title and timing align with the dignity and human-rights messaging he foregrounded after 2016. Within his arc, it reflects the shift toward affordable, large-format protest imagery built to circulate broadly rather than function only as collectible icons.
FAQ
What are the print's basic specifications?
It is an 18 x 24 inch large-format screen print, a standard edition associated with a Kickstarter release. It was made available on January 17, 2017 at a listed price of $100. The source does not state the edition size.
Why is detailed information limited?
The source record contains no description text, so the imagery and message details are limited. Any statements about meaning are made cautiously based on the title and 2017 dating rather than confirmed source facts.
Is this print part of a set?
It appears to belong to a matched 2017 set sharing its date, 18 x 24 dimensions and Kickstarter origin, alongside Protect Each Other and Greater Than Fear, suggesting a coordinated solidarity campaign rather than a standalone work.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is not stated in the source, so scarcity cannot be determined. Collectors should rely on the work's grouping and release context rather than assuming a particular run size.
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.