Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “ArtsVote”?
Artist Statement
The arts are incredibly important to both the individuals of this nation and who we are, collectively, as a nation. There's a tremendous economic benefit to art and all the creative endeavors and culture generated by the arts. Still, even more importantly, art connects people to their true humanity and their best selves, allowing them to express their unique vision and connect with other humans. I'm proud to work with Americans for the Arts and release this print for ArtsVote's "Make Your Vote Count" campaign! A portion of proceeds from the print sales will go to Arts Action Fund's ArtsVote program, where they are currently providing voter factsheets for every state and U.S. territory, providing the latest details and deadlines on vote-by-mail ballots, early voting, and in-person voting, and offering registered voters info on all the new election rules and deadlines created due to COVID-19. Thanks for caring! -Shepard ArtsVote. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. $75.
Summary
ArtsVote is a 2020 Shepard Fairey screen print made for Americans for the Arts and the ArtsVote 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign. Printed on thick cream Speckletone paper, it measures 18 x 24 inches, is signed, and was issued in a numbered edition of 500. The work pairs Fairey's advocacy for the arts with a get-out-the-vote message, arguing that art connects people to their humanity and carries economic value. A portion of proceeds went to the Arts Action Fund's ArtsVote program, which provided voter factsheets and election information amid COVID-19.
Why It Matters
ArtsVote fuses two causes central to Fairey's identity: the value of the arts and the importance of civic participation. By partnering with Americans for the Arts for the ArtsVote 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign, Fairey channeled his platform into a concrete 2020 voter-information effort, with proceeds supporting the Arts Action Fund's distribution of state-by-state voting factsheets during a pandemic that had upended election logistics. The print's argument, that art delivers both economic benefit and a deeper connection to 'true humanity' and to one another, doubles as a statement of why Fairey believes artists should engage politically. This makes the work a clear example of his recurring strategy: using accessible editions to mobilize voters around a specific organizational campaign. With an edition of 500 at $75, it remained affordable and broadly distributed, consistent with its democratic message. For collectors, ArtsVote is a focused election-year piece that links Fairey's pro-arts advocacy directly to voting rights, fitting neatly within his 2020 politics-and-democracy output and the larger arc of his civic-minded printmaking.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who pursue Fairey's election-year and politics-and-democracy work, as well as those drawn to art-advocacy themes and charity-tied releases. The documented partnership with Americans for the Arts and the ArtsVote campaign gives it a clear cause-driven story. At 18 x 24 inches it is a standard, frameable size, and the $75 issue price with an edition of 500 made it accessible. It sits comfortably in a 2020 voting-and-democracy grouping alongside Fairey's other campaign-linked prints, offering collectors a piece that connects arts advocacy with civic action.
Historical Context
ArtsVote belongs to Fairey's intensive 2020 election-year activism, when he produced a series of works supporting voting rights and democratic participation amid the pandemic. The collaboration with Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund situates the print within organized civic efforts to inform voters about new election rules and deadlines created by COVID-19. It extends Fairey's long practice of pairing accessible editions with specific campaigns, here uniting his advocacy for the arts with a direct get-out-the-vote message.
FAQ
What campaign is this print tied to?
Fairey made it with Americans for the Arts for ArtsVote's 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign. A portion of proceeds went to the Arts Action Fund's ArtsVote program, which provided voter factsheets and election information for every state and U.S. territory.
What is the print's message?
It argues that the arts carry both economic value and a deeper power to connect people to their humanity and to one another, paired with a direct call to vote during the 2020 election.
What are the size and edition?
The screen print measures 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and was issued in a numbered edition of 500 at $75.
Why was voter information emphasized?
The ArtsVote program provided up-to-date details on vote-by-mail, early voting, and in-person voting, including new election rules and deadlines created by COVID-19, which the print's campaign helped support.
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.