Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Defend Dignity (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
In 2017 I worked with Aaron Huey of @amplifierart and several other artists for a series called WE THE PEOPLE; an effort meant to champion an appreciation for ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. On Inauguration Day, people across the Capital carried our WE THE PEOPLE posters into the streets, hung them up in windows, or pasted them onto walls. We continued to see this movement throughout several other rallies around the world that year, including the Women's March in 2017. This "Defend Dignity" piece is one of three that I created for the original series. For this image, I collaborated with photographer Arlene Mejorado to create a portrait of Maribel Valdez Gonzalez as a symbol of hope and humanity.?? ??????????????? In celebration of #FACINGTHEGIANT #OBEYGIANT30TH, I am releasing this "Defend Dignity" piece as a 30 x 41-inch fine art print on custom paper. If you weren't able to get your hands on this print in 2017, now is your chance! A portion of proceeds will benefit Espacio Migrante, a bi-national non-profit organization that works in the areas of Tijuana and San Diego, focusing on supporting migrants, refugees, and deportees.?? ??????????????? We the People need to come together under a new symbol of hope— one that reminds us that OUR America is one of equal humanity, and does not demean or discriminate. We need you to help us take back this narrative. We don't have any one easy solution, but we do know this: we must be greater than fear, we must defend dignity, and we must protect each other. Take this art in your hands and start now.?? - Shepard?? ??????????????? Defend Dignity. Serigraph on 100% Cotton Custom Archival Paper with hand-deckled edges. 30 x 41 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 89. $900.
Summary
Defend Dignity is a 2019 large-format Shepard Fairey serigraph published by Obey Giant, printed on 100% cotton custom archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches in a signed, numbered edition of 89. The image is a portrait of Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, created with photographer Arlene Mejorado as a symbol of hope and humanity. It originated in the 2017 WE THE PEOPLE series Fairey made with Aaron Huey and the Amplifier project to champion ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. This release re-presents the image as part of his 30th-anniversary fine-art works.
Why It Matters
Defend Dignity carries one of the most recognizable activist legacies in Fairey's catalog because it descends from the 2017 WE THE PEOPLE series, the posters that, per the source, people carried into the streets on Inauguration Day and at the Women's March. That campaign, made with Aaron Huey and Amplifier, championed ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity, and this portrait of Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, created with photographer Arlene Mejorado, became a symbol of hope and humanity for the immigrant-rights movement. Re-issuing it in 2019 as a 30 x 41-inch serigraph on cotton archival paper in an edition of just 89 elevates a once-mass-distributed protest image into a collectible fine-art object. The source ties proceeds to Espacio Migrante, a bi-national nonprofit supporting migrants, refugees, and deportees, reinforcing its human-rights stance. For collectors, the combination of a landmark protest-art lineage, a small premium edition, and a clear humanitarian cause makes this a centerpiece-grade work that documents a defining moment in recent American protest culture.
Collector Perspective
Defend Dignity suits collectors of protest art, immigrant-rights advocacy, and portrait-based political work, as well as those who followed the WE THE PEOPLE campaign. With an edition of only 89 on cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges at a premium original price, it is a serious fine-art acquisition rather than an entry poster, and its 30 x 41 scale commands a wall. The portrait's status as a movement symbol gives it strong narrative appeal. It fits a political or human-rights collection and pairs naturally with Fairey's other portrait-driven justice works and large-format anniversary serigraphs.
Historical Context
Defend Dignity traces directly to the 2017 WE THE PEOPLE series Fairey created with Aaron Huey and the Amplifier project, which produced some of the most widely carried protest images of that moment, appearing on Inauguration Day and at the 2017 Women's March. The source identifies it as one of three images Fairey made for that original series, a portrait of Maribel Valdez Gonzalez made with photographer Arlene Mejorado. This 2019 release re-presents the work as a 30 x 41-inch fine-art print for his Facing the Giant 30th-anniversary program, with proceeds benefiting Espacio Migrante. It marks how Fairey converted a mass-distributed activist image into an archival collectible while sustaining its immigrant-rights message.
FAQ
Where does the Defend Dignity image come from?
Per the source, it is one of three images Fairey created for the 2017 WE THE PEOPLE series, made with Aaron Huey of Amplifier and other artists. It is a portrait of Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, created in collaboration with photographer Arlene Mejorado as a symbol of hope and humanity.
What is the edition size and format?
According to the source, this is a signed, numbered edition of 89, produced as a large-format serigraph on 100% cotton custom archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2019 at an original price of $900.
Does this print support a cause?
The source states that a portion of proceeds benefits Espacio Migrante, a bi-national non-profit working in Tijuana and San Diego that focuses on supporting migrants, refugees, and deportees.
How was the WE THE PEOPLE imagery used?
Per the source, on Inauguration Day people across the Capital carried the WE THE PEOPLE posters into the streets, hung them in windows, or pasted them on walls, and the imagery appeared at other rallies including the 2017 Women's March.
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.