Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Green Power Factory (Letterpress)”?
Artist Statement
I'm releasing this Green Power Factory Letterpress to coincide with Earth Day. It is priced at about 30% less than normal because I'm a perfectionist and I think the red printed a little bit dark over the blue. I hope my pickiness finds symbiosis with your desire for the art and a good deal! Green Power is a concept I've promoted in several pieces of my art. We need to transition to renewable sources of energy for the health of the planet. The fossil fuel industries have tremendous power economically, but we now know that not only are fossil fuel sources finite but that using them is terrible for climate change and, therefore, the ecosystems that sustain life on our planet. Unfortunately, due to the political power of these industries and public apathy about climate change, the government subsidizes the fossil fuel industries for billions even as they damage the environment. The government works for the citizens, so the choice is ours. Do we support endless power for wealthy fossil fuel corporations? Or policies that promote green power and put the earth first with the planet before profits? Please read Naomi Klein's THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING to better understand the conflict between economic interests and climate change. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this print will go to Greenpeace USA to fight climate change. Thanks for caring. –Shepard Green Power Factory Letterpress. 10 x 13 inches. Cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $40.
Summary
Green Power Factory (Letterpress) is a 2023 Shepard Fairey letterpress print, 10 x 13 inches, on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered edition of 450. This is the Blue variant within a set that also includes Letterpress and Red editions. Released to coincide with Earth Day, it was priced about 30 percent below normal because Fairey felt the red printed slightly dark over the blue. The image promotes transitioning to renewable energy and criticizes fossil-fuel subsidies and corporate political power. Fairey references Naomi Klein's book This Changes Everything. A portion of proceeds benefits Greenpeace USA, and the print includes a Verisart digital certificate of authenticity.
Why It Matters
Green Power Factory (Letterpress) is notable both as an Earth Day release and as an unusually candid edition: Fairey discounted it roughly 30 percent because he judged the red impression slightly dark over the blue, a transparency about production that personalizes the print for collectors. The green-power concept it advances is one Fairey has promoted across several works, making this letterpress a compact statement of his renewable-energy advocacy. Its argument is pointedly political, criticizing fossil-fuel subsidies and the industry's political power while citing Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything as recommended reading, which positions the piece within a broader climate-justice discourse. The letterpress medium on hand-deckled cotton paper distinguishes it from his screen-print releases, offering a tactile, smaller-format object. The Greenpeace USA proceeds tie reinforces the activist intent. For collectors, the Blue variant within a multi-color set, the small 10 x 13 format, the Earth Day timing, and the candid discount story combine to make this an approachable, characterful entry in Fairey's environmental catalog, appealing especially to those who collect his letterpress and variant editions.
Collector Perspective
This letterpress appeals to collectors who favor Fairey's smaller-format and variant editions and who follow his environmental advocacy. The Blue variant within a multi-color set invites variant collecting, and the hand-deckled cotton paper and letterpress process give it a tactile, craft-forward quality distinct from his screen prints. At a small 10 x 13 size and a discounted, accessible original price, it is an entry-level piece well suited to collectors building breadth or starting a Fairey grouping. The Earth Day timing and Greenpeace benefit add narrative appeal. Its candid discount story, tied to the red printing slightly dark over the blue, gives it a distinctive collector talking point.
Historical Context
Green Power Factory (Letterpress) sits within Fairey's ongoing renewable-energy advocacy, a green-power concept he notes promoting across several works. Released in 2023 to coincide with Earth Day and published by Obey Giant, it shares the Greenpeace USA proceeds tie and Verisart certificate with his other climate prints of the period. The letterpress medium on hand-deckled cotton paper marks it as part of his smaller-format, craft-oriented output rather than his large screen prints. Its explicit critique of fossil-fuel subsidies and corporate political power, alongside the citation of Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything, places it within the climate-justice discourse Fairey engaged throughout the 2020s. Within his arc, it exemplifies how he uses varied print media and timely releases to advance a consistent environmental message.
FAQ
Why was this print discounted?
Fairey priced it about 30 percent below normal because, as a self-described perfectionist, he felt the red printed a little dark over the blue. He framed the discount as a chance for collectors to get the art and a good deal, per his description.
What is the message of Green Power Factory?
It promotes transitioning to renewable energy for the health of the planet and criticizes government subsidies to fossil-fuel industries and their political power. Fairey recommends Naomi Klein's book This Changes Everything to understand the conflict between economic interests and climate change.
What are the medium and edition?
It is a 10 x 13 inch letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 450. This is the Blue variant; the set also includes Letterpress and Red editions. It includes a Verisart certificate.
Does this print support a cause?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of proceeds benefits Greenpeace USA to fight climate change. The print was released by Obey Giant to coincide with Earth Day in 2023 at 40 dollars.
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.