Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wake Up Earth”?
Artist Statement
This Wake Up Earth letterpress is an urge for us all to be alert, conscious, and analytical. Disinformation, division, and apathy have led to the weakening of pillars of our democracy, an ineffective response to Covid-19, and a lack of meaningful action on environmental destruction and climate change. We accomplish amazing things when we unite and focus on constructive goals, planting seeds, and nurturing them together until they bloom. There are many crucial things going on that demand us to wake up, mobilize, and live with our eyes and minds open! This print applies to many things, but I've chosen to donate proceeds to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) to support their work toward legislation that protects the environment for all of our futures. Thanks for caring! - Shepard Wake Up Earth. 10 x 13 inches. Letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. $65. Proceeds go to NRDC. Obey publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Wake Up Earth is a 2020 letterpress print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a numbered edition of 500 at 10 x 13 inches on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Fairey and priced at $65, it carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner, with proceeds going to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The print is an environmental call to be alert, conscious, and active, linking disinformation, division, and apathy to weakened democracy, an ineffective Covid-19 response, and inaction on climate change. Its message urges collective awareness and mobilization to protect the planet's future.
Why It Matters
Wake Up Earth distills Shepard Fairey's environmental activism into a compact, affordable letterpress with a clear urgent message. The source provides Fairey's own statement framing the work as an urge to stay alert, conscious, and analytical, explicitly connecting disinformation, division, and apathy to the weakening of democratic pillars, a poor Covid-19 response, and a lack of meaningful climate action. This makes the print a snapshot of the intertwined crises of 2020 seen through Fairey's activist lens. Directing proceeds to the Natural Resources Defense Council ties the object to concrete environmental-protection work, reinforcing his consistent practice of pairing art with cause. For collectors, the small letterpress format, hand-deckled edges, cotton paper, and Obey publishing chop make it a tactile, well-crafted multiple that rewards close viewing, while its low original price reflects Fairey's intent to spread the message broadly. It belongs to a clear cluster of his environmental releases and exemplifies how he uses recurring motifs of awakening, seeds, and growth to advocate collective action. Its importance lies in combining timely commentary, an environmental cause, and fine letterpress craft in an accessible signed edition.
Collector Perspective
Wake Up Earth suits collectors focused on Shepard Fairey's environmental and activist work, and those who appreciate fine letterpress craftsmanship with hand-deckled edges and the Obey publishing chop. Its accessible original price and small 10 x 13 inch format make it approachable for newer collectors and easy to display in groupings, while the NRDC fundraising connection appeals to environmentally minded buyers. The numbered edition of 500 gives it defined scarcity. It fits an environmental or climate-themed collection particularly well and pairs naturally with Fairey's other earth and nature releases, offering a tactile, message-driven anchor for an eco-focused grouping.
Historical Context
Wake Up Earth sits within Fairey's substantial environmental output and his 2020 response to a year of overlapping crises. The source records his statement linking disinformation, division, and apathy to weakened democracy, an ineffective Covid-19 response, and inaction on climate change, situating the print firmly in that moment. Published by Obey Giant as a letterpress with hand-deckled edges and the Obey chop, and benefiting the Natural Resources Defense Council, it continues Fairey's practice of pairing finely crafted multiples with environmental causes. It belongs to the Environmental phase of his career devoted to climate and nature themes, extending his recurring imagery of awakening, planting seeds, and collective growth as metaphors for civic and ecological mobilization.
FAQ
What is the message of Wake Up Earth?
Per the source, the print urges everyone to be alert, conscious, and analytical, linking disinformation, division, and apathy to weakened democracy, an ineffective Covid-19 response, and a lack of meaningful action on climate change. It calls for people to unite, mobilize, and live with their eyes and minds open.
What cause did it support?
According to the source, proceeds from Wake Up Earth went to the Natural Resources Defense Council to support its work on legislation protecting the environment. The print was released at an original price of $65.
What are the size, medium, and edition?
Wake Up Earth is a letterpress measuring 10 x 13 inches on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. It was published by Obey Giant in 2020 in a numbered edition of 500, signed by Shepard Fairey, with the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner.
Does the print have any printer's marks?
Yes. The source notes that Wake Up Earth carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner and features hand-deckled edges, both indicators of its letterpress craftsmanship.
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.