Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Creativity, Equity, Justice”?
Artist Statement
In celebration of #FACINGTHEGIANT #OBEYGIANT30TH, I'm releasing this "Creativity, Equity, Justice" print in Providence, RI. If you're attending the lecture at RISD on October 21st, or the opening of my 30th-anniversary show, "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" on October 25th at AS220, be sure to pick up this print while you're at it – it will be available at both events! This print is a portrait of Anjel Newmann, Director of Programs and Youth Director of AS220 – a non-profit community arts organization based in downtown Providence with whom I've worked since the '90s. AS200 is important to me because they have cultivated a creative community that continues to have a profoundly transformative impact on the city. I'm inspired by Anjel's dedication to this organization, where she's been a member since she was 13 years old, learning from a diverse set of communities and facilitating access to opportunities for young people across the city of Providence. Thank you Anjel and AS220 for all that you do for the people of Rhode Island! – Shepard Creativity, Equity, Justice. Screenprint on true white Speckle Tone Paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $50.
Summary
Creativity, Equity, Justice is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered first edition of 450, measuring 18 x 24 inches on true white Speckle Tone paper. The print is a portrait of Anjel Newmann, Director of Programs and Youth Director of AS220, a non-profit community arts organization in downtown Providence with whom Fairey has worked since the 1990s. Released for Obey Giant's thirtieth anniversary, it was made available at Fairey's RISD lecture on October 21 and at the opening of his "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" show at AS220, honoring Newmann's dedication to youth and community arts.
Why It Matters
Creativity, Equity, Justice is a personal, community-rooted release rather than a portrait of a famous figure, which gives it distinct meaning within Fairey's 2019 output. It honors Anjel Newmann, Director of Programs and Youth Director of AS220, a Providence non-profit community arts organization Fairey describes working with since the 1990s. In his own words, AS220 is important to him because it has cultivated a creative community with a transformative impact on the city, and Newmann has been a member since age 13, learning from diverse communities and opening opportunities for young people across Providence. The print ties directly to the thirtieth-anniversary moment, released alongside Fairey's RISD lecture and the opening of "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" at AS220, and its proceeds-adjacent gesture of celebrating a youth-arts leader aligns its title, creativity, equity, and justice, with its subject. For collectors, it represents Fairey's commitment to grassroots arts organizations and the people who sustain them, a counterpoint to his more iconic political imagery. The larger edition of 450 and modest price make it an accessible piece whose significance rests on its sincere community tribute and its anchoring to a specific anniversary milestone.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who value Fairey's community-minded, grassroots side and the story behind a specific organization and person. As a portrait of AS220's Anjel Newmann released around the thirtieth-anniversary events, it carries strong narrative provenance tied to the RISD lecture and the AS220 show opening. At 18 x 24 inches with an edition of 450 and a modest price, it is among the more accessible Fairey works, well suited to newer collectors or those assembling a justice-and-community grouping. Its portrait-on-speckle-tone presentation displays cleanly, and its sincere subject matter makes it a meaningful, less hype-driven addition to a collection.
Historical Context
Creativity, Equity, Justice marks Obey Giant's thirtieth anniversary, released in conjunction with Fairey's RISD lecture on October 21 and the opening of "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" at AS220 in Providence. Its subject, Anjel Newmann, and its dedication to AS220 reflect a relationship Fairey traces to the 1990s, situating the work within his long-standing support for community arts rather than within his celebrity-portrait or overt-propaganda lines. As an anniversary-tied tribute to a youth-arts leader, it documents the local, relational roots that underpin Fairey's broader public career and stands apart from the large-format icon and currency prints of the same year.
FAQ
Who is portrayed in Creativity, Equity, Justice?
It is a portrait of Anjel Newmann, Director of Programs and Youth Director of AS220, a non-profit community arts organization in downtown Providence. Fairey created it to honor her dedication and her work facilitating opportunities for young people.
What is the edition size and material?
It is a numbered first edition of 450, signed by Shepard Fairey. The screen print is on true white Speckle Tone paper and measures 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2019.
Why was this print released?
It was released in celebration of Obey Giant's thirtieth anniversary and made available at Fairey's RISD lecture on October 21 and at the opening of his "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" show at AS220 in Providence.
What is AS220 and Fairey's connection to it?
AS220 is a Providence non-profit community arts organization Fairey says he has worked with since the 1990s. He credits it with cultivating a creative community that has a transformative impact on the city.
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.