Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “The Future Is Equal”?
Artist Statement
I grew up at a time when women's rights were on the rise and it was accepted that the ERA was destined to pass. With 38 states having ratified the ERA, it is time for our leaders to step-up and enact the will of the people by ensuring that the ERA is adopted. It is overdue that gender equality becomes the law of the land. This project resonated with me because the fight for gender equality has always been rooted in social-justice activism and there is still work to be done. Proceeds of the sales from this print will go to Vote Equality US. –Shepard The Future Is Equal. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 600. $100.
Summary
The Future Is Equal is a 2022 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 600 and published by Obey Giant. Priced at $100 on release, the work supports the Equal Rights Amendment and gender equality. Fairey writes that he grew up when women's rights were rising and the ERA seemed destined to pass, and he calls on leaders to enact the will of the people now that 38 states have ratified it. He frames the fight for gender equality as rooted in social-justice activism. Proceeds go to Vote Equality US.
Why It Matters
The Future Is Equal is a direct piece of advocacy art tied to a specific policy goal, the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. Rather than a general women-themed image, Fairey grounds the print in a concrete argument: 38 states have ratified the ERA, and he urges leaders to make gender equality the law of the land. This specificity gives the work documentary weight within his catalog of justice prints. For collectors, it is a clear example of how Fairey pairs a slogan-driven graphic with an active campaign, here directing proceeds to Vote Equality US, aligning the object with the cause it depicts. The print extends his decades-long focus on women as central figures and on civil-rights themes, connecting back to his earlier revolution and Zapatista women prints. As a signed, numbered screen print of 600 on his signature Speckletone stock, it offers both strong graphic presence and a timely political message. Its explicit ERA subject makes it a meaningful anchor for any collection focused on his women-and-equality work, and a piece whose relevance is tied to an ongoing national debate.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors focused on Fairey's women-and-equality and civil-rights work, and those who collect art tied to active campaigns such as the ERA. The bold typographic-graphic treatment makes it a strong statement piece for a home or office wall. At 600 signed and numbered impressions it is reasonably available, and the Vote Equality US association adds appeal for cause-minded buyers. It fits naturally alongside his other women-centered and justice-themed prints, anchoring a themed grouping or a broader survey of his 2022 political releases.
Historical Context
The Future Is Equal continues Fairey's long engagement with women's rights and civil-rights themes, a thread visible from his mid-2000s revolution and Zapatista women prints onward. Released in March 2022 and tied to Vote Equality US, it reflects his early-2020s practice of linking print sales to specific advocacy organizations and campaigns. By anchoring the work to the Equal Rights Amendment, Fairey situates his graphic activism in a concrete, ongoing policy fight, illustrating how the mature artist uses editions to amplify particular causes rather than broad slogans.
FAQ
What cause does The Future Is Equal support?
The print supports the Equal Rights Amendment and gender equality. Fairey calls on leaders to enact the ERA now that 38 states have ratified it. Proceeds from sales go to Vote Equality US.
What is the edition size and price?
It is a numbered edition of 600, signed by Shepard Fairey and published by Obey Giant in 2022 at an original price of $100. The print measures 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper.
What is Fairey's message in this print?
Fairey writes that he grew up as women's rights were rising and the ERA seemed destined to pass. He frames gender equality as overdue and rooted in social-justice activism, urging leaders to enact the will of the people.
What are the dimensions and medium?
The print measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper, hand-signed and numbered from an edition of 600.
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.