Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Power & Equality (Dove)”?
Artist Statement
I created the "Power & Equality" mural as a call for gender equality and female empowerment everywhere, but with a direct connection to the Lower East Side through the portrait of actor, activist, and The Lower East Side Girl's Club board member Rosario Dawson. I share Rosario's passion for social justice and I think she is a great role model with her spirit of creativity and compassion. The Lower East Side was a source of inspiration and a proving ground for me as a street artist in the 90's, so I'm very happy to contribute to the neighborhood and pay tribute to a person in Rosario Dawson who embodies humanitarian principles. I'm happy to support this organization working to create our next generation of environmental, entrepreneurial, and ethical leaders. – Shepard Power & Equality: Dove on thick cream Speckletone Paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 400. $75. A portion of proceeds will go to The LES Girls Club. Power & Equality: Flower on thick cream Speckletone Paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 400. $75. A portion of proceeds will go to The LES Girls Club.
Summary
Power & Equality (Dove) is a 2019 screen print published by Obey Giant, printed on thick cream Speckletone paper at 18 x 24 inches, issued as a numbered edition of 400, signed by Shepard Fairey, and offered at $75. The image stems from Fairey's Power & Equality mural, a call for gender equality and female empowerment, and features a portrait of actor and activist Rosario Dawson, a board member of the Lower East Side Girls Club. A companion Flower edition was issued in the same size and edition size. A portion of proceeds supports the LES Girls Club.
Why It Matters
Power & Equality (Dove) ties Fairey's recurring advocacy for gender equality and female empowerment to a specific person and place: actor and activist Rosario Dawson and the Lower East Side, the neighborhood Fairey credits as a formative proving ground for his street-art practice in the 1990s. By honoring Dawson, a Lower East Side Girls Club board member he praises for her social-justice commitment, the work moves beyond a generic empowerment message into a concrete tribute and partnership. The print also functions as a benefit piece, with a portion of proceeds supporting the LES Girls Club and its mission to develop the next generation of environmental, entrepreneurial, and ethical leaders. That charitable dimension and the mural origin give it cultural weight beyond its accessible $75 price. As a numbered edition of 400 with a portrait subject and a women-and-leadership theme, it sits squarely within an important strand of Fairey's catalog. The Dove variant adds a peace symbol to the empowerment message, reinforcing the justice framing. For collectors, it combines portraiture, activism, a named public figure, and a documented community connection, making it more resonant than a typical poster-sized edition.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's women-and-leadership and social-justice work, and to those who appreciate that proceeds support a community organization. The Rosario Dawson portrait gives it celebrity and activist crossover appeal, while the mural origin and Lower East Side connection add narrative depth. At 18 x 24 inches and $75 in a numbered edition of 400, it is an accessible, frame-ready piece that fits a thematic grouping of his portraits of women or his justice-oriented works. The Dove variant's peace imagery makes it a natural complement to other empowerment and equality prints. Collectors who value works with a clear charitable and community dimension, alongside genuine artist signatures, will find it a meaningful and approachable addition.
Historical Context
Power & Equality derives from a Fairey mural created as a call for gender equality, connected directly to the Lower East Side through its portrait of Rosario Dawson. The neighborhood holds personal significance for Fairey as a source of inspiration and a proving ground during his 1990s street-art years, so the work doubles as a tribute to a community that shaped him. Issued in 2019 in Dove and Flower variants as benefit prints for the LES Girls Club, it belongs to the ongoing strand of Fairey's career devoted to portraits of strong, empowered women and to partnerships with activist organizations. It reflects his mature practice of translating public murals into signed, charitable editions.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
The portrait is of actor and activist Rosario Dawson, a board member of the Lower East Side Girls Club. Fairey describes her as a role model with a spirit of creativity and compassion who embodies humanitarian principles, and he shares her passion for social justice.
Does any of the proceeds go to charity?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of proceeds goes to The LES Girls Club, an organization Fairey supports for its work creating the next generation of environmental, entrepreneurial, and ethical leaders. Both the Dove and Flower variants carry this charitable component.
What is the edition size and price?
Power & Equality (Dove) is a numbered edition of 400, signed by Shepard Fairey, printed on thick cream Speckletone paper at 18 x 24 inches, and offered at $75. A companion Flower variant was issued in the same size and edition of 400.
What is the message of the work?
Fairey created the Power & Equality mural as a call for gender equality and female empowerment, with a direct connection to the Lower East Side through the Rosario Dawson portrait. The Dove variant pairs that empowerment message with peace symbolism.
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.