Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Voting Rights Are Human Rights (Offset Lithograph)”?
Artist Statement
Voting Rights are Human Rights Offset. 24 x 36 inches. Offset print on cream Speckletone paper. Original photo by Steve Schapiro. Signed by Shepard Fairey. $45. Proceeds go to Equal Justice Initiative.
Summary
Voting Rights Are Human Rights is a 2020 offset lithograph by Shepard Fairey, measuring 24 x 36 inches on cream Speckletone paper and published by Obey Giant. The image derives from an original photograph by Steve Schapiro and is rendered in Fairey's bold graphic poster style. Signed by Fairey and priced at $45, the print was released with proceeds going to the Equal Justice Initiative. Its message frames voting access as a fundamental human right, connecting civil-rights history with contemporary calls for equal participation in democracy. The work belongs to Fairey's cluster of accessible, cause-tied 2020 social-justice releases.
Why It Matters
Voting Rights Are Human Rights links Shepard Fairey's contemporary activism to the visual legacy of the American civil-rights movement through its source photograph by Steve Schapiro, a photographer associated with that era's documentary record. By choosing this image and pairing it with the slogan-like title, Fairey asserts a direct continuity between historic struggles for the franchise and present-day fights over voting access, especially resonant in the 2020 election year. The decision to direct proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative roots the print in real legal-justice work, making it both an artwork and a contribution to that cause. For collectors, it exemplifies Fairey's method of producing affordable, signed offset multiples that spread a clear civil-rights message widely rather than restricting it to a small market. Within his catalog it sits among a tight grouping of 2020 civil-rights and justice releases that share format, price point, and charitable structure. Its importance lies in how cleanly it states a political principle through Fairey's recognizable graphic language while honoring the documentary photographers whose work he builds upon, reinforcing his long practice of art as advocacy.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors centered on Shepard Fairey's civil-rights and democracy-themed work, as well as those drawn to its connection to photographer Steve Schapiro and the Equal Justice Initiative cause. As a signed offset lithograph at an accessible original price, it is approachable for newer collectors while remaining meaningful to those building a thematic civil-rights grouping. The 24 x 36 inch format makes a strong framed statement and pairs naturally with Fairey's other 2020 justice releases. Collectors who value art that carries a clear social message and supported a real organization will find this an authentic, display-worthy anchor for a politically engaged collection.
Historical Context
Voting Rights Are Human Rights belongs to Fairey's intensive 2020 output tied to the U.S. election year and the broader civil-rights conversation reignited that summer. By sourcing the image from Steve Schapiro, whose photography is associated with the civil-rights era, Fairey deliberately bridges historic and contemporary struggles over voting access. The print sits in the same publishing wave as his other 2020 Obey Giant offsets that paired affordable signed editions with charitable proceeds, here benefiting the Equal Justice Initiative. It reflects the Modern Activism phase of his career, in which Fairey foregrounds timely civil-rights subjects and directs the commercial life of his prints toward advocacy, continuing the strategy of using accessible multiples as instruments of persuasion and support.
FAQ
What cause did this print support?
According to the source description, proceeds from Voting Rights Are Human Rights went to the Equal Justice Initiative. The print was released at an original price of $45, reflecting Fairey's practice of pairing accessible signed editions with charitable support during 2020.
Who took the original photograph?
The image is based on an original photograph by Steve Schapiro, a photographer associated with the civil-rights era. Shepard Fairey adapted it into his graphic poster style and signed the finished offset lithograph.
What are the size and materials?
Voting Rights Are Human Rights is an offset lithograph measuring 24 x 36 inches, printed on cream Speckletone paper. It was published by Obey Giant in 2020 and is signed by Shepard Fairey.
What is the message of the print?
The title and imagery frame access to voting as a fundamental human right, connecting historic civil-rights struggles with contemporary debates over the franchise. The work was released during the 2020 U.S. election year as part of Fairey's civil-rights-focused output.
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.