July 13, 2009, - 4:39 pm
The Audacity of Vandalism . . . & Hope: Famous Obama Artist Gets Sentenced
By Debbie Schlussel
Remember those official Obama campaign posters that said “HOPE” on them and bore a red, periwinkle, cream, and navy Warhol-esque, pop art likeness of the then-Presidential candidate? How could you miss them? You couldn’t get away from the annoying, screaming posters bearing a nice euphemism for “FANTASY.” And many people around the net still use icons of themselves morphed into the famous posters.
The thing is the artist–Shepard Fairey (and no, I’m not making his name up)–who created the posters is something of a professional vandal. And Friday, this guy who helped Shepherd in the biggest Fairey-tale in America was sentenced for just one of his many crimes.
Shepard Fairey, above, whose “Hope” poster for Barack Obama became an emblem of the 2008 presidential election, was sentenced to two years’ probation on Friday in Boston Municipal Court for charges stemming from images he posted on public and private property over the years. . . . Mr. Fairey pleaded guilty to three charges of vandalism, including defacing property and wanton destruction of property under $250; 11 other charges were dropped. He was also fined $2,000 to pay for graffiti removal. Mr. Fairey was arrested in Boston in February as he arrived at the Institute of Contemporary Art for the opening-night party for a retrospective of his work. “Freedom of expression is the bedrock of our democracy,” Mr. Fairey said in a statement on Friday.
Yes, but freedom of HIS expression on OTHERS’ private property is not.
More:
Shepard Fairey, the street artist who for decades has plastered his stickers and posters on buildings and street signs, issued an apology today and agreed to ban himself in Boston.
Fairey consented to a plea deal that will prohibit him from carrying stickers, posters, wheat paste, brushes, and other tools of the graffiti trade while in Suffolk County for the next two years.
It’s pretty embarrassing–and funny–when you aren’t allowed to carry glue or paint around town. Some people can’t live within 500 feet of a school. He can’t carry paint brushes. They molested kids. He molests property.
Under the arrangement, Fairey pleaded guilty to three vandalism charges and must pay a $2,000 fine to one of his adversaries, Graffiti NABBers for the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.
In a statement, Fairey apologized to the citizens of Boston for “posting my art in unauthorized spaces without the consent of the owner.”
“I believe in the importance of making art accessible through many avenues, and I will continue to advocate the use of legal public spaces for meaningful artistic expression and communication.” . . .
He had originally been charged with two counts of tagging, but prosecutors amended the complaint to wanton destruction of property. A guilty plea to tagging would have forced Fairey to lose his driver’s license for a year in California.
The third charge of defacing a building dated to 2000.
Hmmm . . . sounds like he’s already planning to deface taxpayer-funded parks and highway overpasses.
Probation is not unusual for a single case of vandalism, but this guy is habitual and a multiple repeat offender. I wonder if the judge voted for Obama. Wouldn’t bet against it. Ditto for the prosecutors that offered him this easy deal even though he’s a repeat offender.
In any event, we now have a 4-8 year Fairey-tale brought to us courtesy of this vandal “artist” who helped Shepard it. How appropriate that this Shepard of Fairey-tales is a glorified repeat common criminal.
Kinda like the man he helped elect.
One guy vandalizes private property in parts of America. The guy in his posters just seizes private property all over America.
The Audacity of Dope. Two of ’em.
I would say that Mr. Fairey succeeded in his most important effort. He helped tag the United States with Barack Obama.
Worry01 on July 13, 2009 at 5:33 pm