Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Farms Not Factories”?
Artist Statement
To celebrate Farm Aid's 40 years of fighting for family farms, I created this art to remind people that Farm Aid provides a voice for people who don't have the kind of resources that corporate agriculture does. Farm Aid was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp as a concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land. It continues to operate the music festival to keep that mission alive with the next Farm Aid concert taking place on September 20th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With this piece, "Farms Not Factories," I wanted to tell the story of independent farmers working on their land, as opposed to the big corporate farms that have a huge amount of land and workers. I incorporated historical images of various rallies from Farm Aid organizers over the years, as well as some newspaper clippings from the archives within the ripped collage layers of the illustration. Independent farming is a solitary endeavor, which I showcase with the lone farmhouse situated on the vast landscape, but with Farm Aid, farmers can work together for their interests rather than be overrun by big corporations. Please take a moment to read more about Farm Aid and support this effort by purchasing this print! -Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Farms Not Factories. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $70
Summary
Farms Not Factories is a 2025 screen print created to mark Farm Aid's 40th anniversary. Measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, it is a signed, numbered first edition of 500, published by Obey Giant at $70. The composition depicts a lone farmhouse on a vast landscape to evoke independent farming, with ripped collage layers incorporating historical images of Farm Aid rallies and newspaper clippings from the archives. The work contrasts family farmers with corporate agriculture, advocating for independent farming and the collective support Farm Aid provides. Each print includes a Digital Certificate of Authenticity from Verisart.
Why It Matters
Farms Not Factories ties Fairey's collage-and-cause practice to a specific, storied American institution: Farm Aid, which he notes was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp to support family farms. By creating the piece for Farm Aid's 40th anniversary, Fairey lends his iconography to a continuing advocacy effort that bridges music, agriculture, and economic justice. The print's deliberate visual strategy, ripped collage layers embedding rally photos and archival newspaper clippings, makes it a documentary object as much as a poster, weaving real organizing history into the image. The lone farmhouse on a vast landscape is a pointed compositional choice that dramatizes the solitary nature of independent farming against the scale of corporate agriculture. For collectors, this is a values-driven piece with a clear narrative and a recognizable cause partner. The edition of 500 keeps it broadly accessible while still being a signed, numbered work. It exemplifies how Fairey uses his platform to amplify grassroots movements, here framing family farming as a labor and community issue worth defending.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's cause-driven collage works and to the cultural legacy of Farm Aid, including fans of Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp. Its Americana subject and layered collage aesthetic make it a strong conversation piece, and the 18 x 24 inch format works well in a themed grouping with other activism prints. The signed, numbered edition of 500 with a Verisart certificate provides the documentation collectors expect, while the $70 issue price keeps it accessible. It fits collections organized around Fairey's social-justice and Americana themes, and the explicit anniversary tie-in gives it a clear, dateable story that adds context and display appeal for buyers who value art with a documented activist purpose.
Historical Context
Farms Not Factories situates Fairey within his ongoing role as a visual ally to social movements, here aligning with Farm Aid as the organization marks four decades of advocacy. Fairey recounts Farm Aid's founding in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp as a concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms, and notes the next festival was set for September 20th in Minneapolis. The print's embedding of archival rally images and newspaper clippings reflects Fairey's collage method of layering historical documentation into his propaganda-inspired imagery. As a 2025 Obey Giant release in an edition of 500, it continues his pattern of producing signed editions tied to specific causes, extending his Americana and labor-themed output into the present moment.
FAQ
Why did Fairey create this print?
Fairey made Farms Not Factories to celebrate Farm Aid's 40 years of fighting for family farms. He states he wanted to remind people that Farm Aid gives a voice to those without the resources of corporate agriculture, and he encourages buyers to learn about and support the effort.
What is depicted in the image?
The print shows a lone farmhouse on a vast landscape to represent the solitary nature of independent farming. Fairey incorporated historical images of Farm Aid rallies and newspaper clippings from the archives within ripped collage layers, contrasting family farmers with large corporate farms.
What are the specifications?
Farms Not Factories measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and is a numbered first edition of 500, published by Obey Giant. The original release price was $70, with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.
What is Farm Aid?
Per Fairey's notes, Farm Aid was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp as a concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land. It continues as a music festival, with a concert set for September 20th in Minneapolis.
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.