Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Educate To Liberate (AP2TP)”?
Artist Statement
I've been inspired by the Black Panther Party and their activism since I read Bobby Seale's book "Seize The Time" almost 30 years ago. I'm happy to announce the release of this Bobby Seale print I designed in collaboration with the All Power to the People Collective, in conjunction with the Black Panther Party History Month and their 55th Anniversary celebrations. 100% of the profits from sales will benefit the continuing legacy of the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network (BPPALN.org). The events this month honor the backbone leadership of the original Party. The work of BPPALN is to ensure the education initiatives and community outreach programs provide knowledge, while improving the quality of life for the Elders, all the way to the youth of today. -Shepard Educate to Liberate. Cream Edition & Premium Mirror Gold Foil Edition sold separately. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Cream Edition 4 color screen print on Crane Cotton Letra. Numbered edition of 300. $75. Premium Gold Foil Edition 4 color screen print on Mirri Gold. Numbered edition of 200. $250.
Summary
Educate To Liberate (AP2TP) is a 2021 screen print by Shepard Fairey depicting Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, designed in collaboration with the All Power to the People Collective. Published by Cream, the Cream Edition is an 18 x 24 inch 4-color screen print on Crane Cotton Letra, signed by Fairey in a numbered edition of 300 at $75. The source notes the print marks Black Panther Party History Month and the Party's 55th anniversary, and that 100% of profits benefit the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network. Fairey writes that he has been inspired by the Black Panthers since reading Bobby Seale's book Seize The Time. The image is a portrait celebrating the Party's education and community legacy.
Why It Matters
Educate To Liberate is a civil-rights and social-justice portrait that honors Bobby Seale and the Black Panther Party's legacy of education and community outreach. Fairey grounds the work in personal history, citing Bobby Seale's Seize The Time as a nearly 30-year influence, and ties the release to the Party's 55th anniversary and Black Panther Party History Month. The collaboration with the All Power to the People Collective and the pledge that 100% of profits go to the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network make it an unusually direct act of solidarity, with the entire proceeds, not just a portion, directed to the cause. As a database entry it documents Fairey's engagement with Black liberation history and his practice of co-creating prints with community organizations. The title itself, Educate To Liberate, foregrounds the Party's education initiatives. For collectors, it matters as a politically significant tribute that connects Fairey's graphic portraiture to the civil-rights movement and to a living legacy network continuing the Party's work.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors focused on civil rights, Black liberation history and social-justice themes, as well as those who value Fairey's collaborative, cause-driven releases. The Bobby Seale portrait carries strong educational and historical resonance, suiting display in spaces where its message of education and liberation is meaningful. The pledge that 100% of profits benefit the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network adds significant appeal for socially conscious buyers. At $75 for the Cream Edition of 300, it is an accessible signed print, while a separate Gold Foil Edition of 200 at $250 offered a premium alternative. It fits collections organized around political and civil-rights themes and pairs with related collaboration and justice-focused prints.
Historical Context
Educate To Liberate sits within Fairey's politically engaged contemporary practice and his long-standing interest in Black liberation history. The source dates his admiration for the Black Panther Party to reading Bobby Seale's Seize The Time nearly 30 years earlier, situating this 2021 print as the culmination of a sustained influence. Released for the Party's 55th anniversary and Black Panther Party History Month in collaboration with the All Power to the People Collective, with all profits to the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network, it reflects Fairey's pattern of partnering with community organizations on cause-driven editions. Within his arc, the work extends his portrait practice to a foundational civil-rights figure, connecting his graphic style to movements for justice and education that have informed his activist art throughout his career.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
The print depicts Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Fairey writes that he has been inspired by the Black Panther Party and their activism since reading Bobby Seale's book Seize The Time almost 30 years earlier.
What cause does the print support?
According to the source, 100% of the profits benefit the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network (BPPALN.org), which supports education initiatives and community outreach. The release coincided with Black Panther Party History Month and the Party's 55th anniversary celebrations.
What editions were available?
The source lists a Cream Edition, a 4-color screen print on Crane Cotton Letra, numbered to 300 at $75, and a separate Premium Gold Foil Edition on Mirri Gold, numbered to 200 at $250. Both are 18 x 24 inches and signed by Shepard Fairey.
Who collaborated on this print?
Fairey designed the print in collaboration with the All Power to the People Collective, in conjunction with Black Panther Party History Month and the Party's 55th anniversary. It was published by Cream.
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.