Artist behind Obama ‘Hope’ poster will paint a voting-rights mural in downtown Milwaukee
In time for the Democratic National Convention in August, artist Shepard Fairey, creator of the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, will paint a mural highlighting voting rights on a downtown Milwaukee building.
The design, titled “Voting Rights Are Human Rights,” will feature a young Black man in the foreground surrounded by images of Civil Rights protests, Milwaukee protests and voting-rights references.
It is to be painted on the Railway Exchange building, 229 E. Wisconsin Ave. The DNC, which has been scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, is to begin Aug 17.
The Milwaukee organization Wallpapered City, founded by artist Stacey Williams-Ng, is working with Fairey’s organization, Obey Giant, to plan and promote the mural.
The figure in the mural is “supposed to be every man, although the image was inspired by 1960s Civil Rights marches,” Williams-Ng said. “But he basically is just a symbol of the future. He’s young.”
Fairey is promoting a version of the “Voting Rights Are Human Rights” design as a poster on the Obey Giant website. Williams-Ng said the proportions of the building will require Fairey to adjust the poster design somewhat, but the message and general layout will remain the same.
On his website, Fairey described the vision behind the design, which is a collaboration with Civil Rights photographer Steve Schapiro, who documented many of the protests of the 1960s.
“Voting rights and racial equality were the focus of a mass movement toward a more just society in the ’60s,” Fairey’s description says. “Unfortunately, insidious racism, which never went away, has given way to more overt racism, and voter suppression, often targeting people of color and students.”
Milwaukee caught Fairey’s attention when the city was chosen to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention,
Williams-Ng said. The Obey Giant team contacted Wallpapered City in January, and the two organizations have worked together to secure a location and plan the logistics of the mural.
Since selecting Milwaukee, Williams-Ng said Fairey has been studying up on the city’s history and current events, working to understand the community’s culture.
That commitment to community connection, Williams-Ng added, has long been part of Fairey’s artistic mission.
“He’s been to six of the seven continents with his artwork, excluding only Antarctica,” Williams-Ng said. “He’s been all over the world spreading his artwork and learning about different communities.”
Fairey’s iconic “Hope” poster design — a red and blue stenciled portrait of former President Barack Obama — has inspired many imitations in the decade since. In 2017, Fairey designed three imitative posters in his “We the People” series, protesting the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Because the pandemic has made it tough to learn about Milwaukee in person, Williams-Ng said Fairey has been following Milwaukee news — specifically the controversy surrounding Wisconsin’s April 7 election, when the city had only five voting spots open, instead of the usual 180.
“He’s been really trying to become a Milwaukee expert,” she said.