Some of those were new to me. Thanks for the links.
You're welcome. Check out Shepard Fairey's profile on Wikipedia:
Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene[1] and became known initially for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. His work became more widely known in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, specifically his Barack Obama "HOPE" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists.[2] He usually omits his first name. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[3]
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Fairey created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's candidacy for President in 2008, including the iconic "HOPE" portrait.[19][20][21] He also created an exclusive design for Rock the Vote. On November 5, 2008, the city of Chicago posted street banners throughout the downtown Loop business district featuring Fairey's Obama "HOPE" portrait. The banners say "Congratulations Chicago's Own Barack Obama, President-Elect of the United States of America".[22] Fairey created two additional images, "Change" and "Vote", for use by the official Obama Campaign, since his original image could not be seen to have any official affiliation with the presidential campaign since it had been "perpetuated illegally"[23] and independently by the graffiti/street artist.
Contrary to the above citation, Fairey has noted in several interviews that he had originally created the iconic poster with "PROGRESS" wording instead of "HOPE", but after a couple weeks of distribution, the Obama campaign contacted Fairey and asked that he change it to "HOPE" since that was more in line with the campaign's message, resulting in the campaign-approved "HOPE" poster.[24] Fairey distributed a staggering 300,000 stickers and 500,000 posters during the election campaign, funding his grassroots electioneering through poster and fine art sales."I just put all that money back into making more stuff, so I didn't keep any of the Obama money," said Fairey in a December 2008 interview.[25] Fairey received a formal letter of thanks from Barack Obama for his contribution to his 2008 presidential campaign. The letter stated:
"I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can change the status-quo."
"Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign. I am privileged to be a part of your artwork and proud to have your support."-- Barack Obama, February 22, 2008
Fairey created the portrait of Barack Obama that TIME Magazine used as the cover art for its 2008 Person of the Year issue.[26] His influence, particularly with Obama's presidential campaign, contributed to him being named a Person of the Year 2008 by GQ Magazine.[7]
In January 2009, the 'HOPE' image was acquired by the US National Portrait Gallery, and became part of the permanent collection.[27] It was unveiled and put on display at the Gallery on January 17, 2009.[28]