If you don't know him by name, you will absolutely know him for his creations. Notably the red, white, and blue prints of a focused Barack Obama that appeared during the last Presidential campaign.
Frank Shepard Fairey, better known as Shepard Fairey, was born in early 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. After attending a number of college preparatory schools, Shepard chose the Rhode Island School of Design to obtain a Bachelors in Illustration. It was there where Fairey's skill in silkscreen printing and design developed. He used stickers, stencils, and t-shirts to boost his first most popular campaign in 1989, Obey Giant, featuring wrestling great, Andre the Giant and slogans such as "this is your god", which became an underground street-art phenomena. He continued designing stickers, t-shirts, and skateboards and the like through Alternate Graphics, a business he launched in 1992.
Following the success of Obey Giant, a clothing line under the name Obey has been launched and produced by Fairey. He has also done work with PepsiCo, Red Bull, Saks Fifth Avenue, and created pieces featuring the Black Panther party, anti-Bush propaganda while displaying murals, sketches, and prints in galleries around the world. The Obama project Shepard created originally read "progress" under the portrait, but the campaign leaders and the Associated Press preferred "hope" or "change". Fairey also commented during his interview with Iggy Pop on his inspiration for the project saying, "This isn't about me augmenting my existing brand of pissed-off rebellion. This is about my daughters' future." However, the Obama poster has not only brought Fairey success but also a fair amount of problems. Individuals have criticized him for supporting Obama, creating a not-so-controversial political poster, copying Robert Rauschenberg's "Retroactive 1", and possibly committing copyright infringement. Fairey is fighting back, filing suit before the AP had a chance to react. He's claiming that the photo is fair use because the photographer, Mannie Gracia, was working freelance for the AP. Fairey does support ownership laws and can admit when he's wrong. Shepard just plead guilty in Boston on vandalism charges for slapping artwork on 35 legal and illegal building facades including City Hall. Nonetheless, I foresee Fairey continuing his passion and keeping society on its toes for many years to come.
Cartwright, Lisa, Stephen Mandiberg. "Obama and Shepard Fairey: The Copy and Political Iconography in the the Age of Demake." Journal of Visual Culture 8. 2 (2009): 172-176.
Fairey, Shepard. Interview with Iggy Pop. Interview Magazine.
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/shepard-fairey/
Peter Arnell, The Man, The Legend
Arnell's vision for Tropicana
The Peapod- Born and raised in Brooklyn
- Received a high school education
- Lost 250 pounds in 30 months
- Has a trademark style of wearing suits and Corbusier style glasses
- Has been called a phony and insane
- Swears a lot
- Eats a ton of oranges
- Asks the public for feedback
- Launched and owns the Arnell Group
- The mind behind the failed Tropicana campaign
- Uses a lot of photography/takes a lot of photos
- Worked for DKNY, PepsiCo, New York Fire Department, Samsung, Fontainebleau hotels
- Recently designed a car, known as the Peapod
- Incorporated his initials in the name; PEApod
- Known for hitting employees, forcing them to do push ups as punishment
- Has three children with wife Sara, who is the chief strategy officer at the Arnell Group
Lyons, Daniel. "Mad Man." March 2009. http://www.newsweek.com/2009/03/27/mad-man.html
Frank Lloyd Wright
Choosing Frank Lloyd Wright was a immediate decision because I visited the Guggenheim over winter break. I flipped through some books while visiting the gift shop and was delighted to learn Wright was the mastermind behind it. I have also always admired Falling Water, a home called "one of the greatest architectural triumphs of the 20th century, located in Bear Run, Pennsylvania. The home belonged to the Kaufmann family, owners of Kaufmann department stores in PIttsburgh. These are the two most recognized designs by Wright which enticed me to explore more of his life and work.
Frank Lloyd Wright is a Wisconsin native, born in 1867. He grew up to study civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin followed by a seven year career at Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan office in Chicago.
Wright is known for his work designing residences. Frank also made a mark as an architect by developing the prairie style. This can described as displaying "low horizontal lines and strongly projecting eaves". Wright also embraced open, spacial floor plans and the use of concrete for more than a simple floor.
His creations have been erected in San Francisco, New York City, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Chicago, and Japan. Not only did Wright have a talent for architecture and design, he was also a published writer and lecturer. Among his text is an autobiography, released in 1977.
Frank Lloyd Wright is interesting to me because he looked outside of the box. He was more concerned how the structure would fit into nature than solely satisfaction from the client. He considered sustainability in his work and that is a concept I believe is very important. I simply enjoy his style of architecture and outlook on design.
Guggenheim Museum Falling Water. 2011. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy .http://www.fallingwater.org
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition 7/1/2010
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