As Shepard Fairey’s twenty-year museum retrospective, Supply and Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey, opens to the public tomorrow at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, a legal case has unfolded involving copyright infringement of Shepard Fairey’s Barack Obama HOPE image. In an article released today by Heillel Italie of the Associated Press, “The AP claims it owns the copyright and wants credit and compensation. Fairey disagrees.” Fairey’s attorney is currently in discussions with the AP. In January, Fairey’s mixed media Obama portrait was installed in the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithonian Institution, and another collage portrait is currently on view at the ICA Boston. This legal suite follows what Randy Kennedy of The New York Times quoted as “arguably the establishment’s most public embrace of a quintessentially anti-establishment brand of art”, when speaking of the National Portrait Gallery’s acquisition of Fairey’s Obama portrait. Click here to read the full AP article. Boing Boing has also posted Glen E. Friedman’s perspective on the situation, as both photographer and friend of Fairey’s. Click here to read The Boston Globe article on Shepard’s ICA retrospective. Additional news items: Shepard Fairey on NPR; Shepard Fairey on The Colbert Report; Shepard Fairey on Charlie Rose

Building on the tremendous success and energy of the initial Mainfest Hope gallery in Denver during the DNC, gallery co-creator Shepard Fairey and partners will open Manifest Hope:DC in the nation’s capitol from Friday January 16th through the 19th.  This show will mark the successful grassroots campaign for Barack Obama and to celebrate his inauguration on the 19th. The gallery will feature work some of today’s most celebrated contemporary artists including Shepard Fairey, David Choe, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Thunderdog Studios and many more.

To continue the grassroots support for change and to acknowledge the power of art to do so, Manifest Hope has announced an expanded online art contest for the opportunity to show work at Manifest Hope:DC.  Artists can submit work to one or more of three categories – Manifest Change-Health Care Reform, Manifest Unity – Worker’s Rights, and Manifest Opportunity – The Green Economy.   15 pieces will be selected for inclusion in the DC gallery.  The deadline for entry is Friday January 9th, 2009 @ 11:59 AM EDT.  Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel including Anne Ellegood (curator of Contemporary Art, Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum), David Rolf (President, SEIU Healthcare 775NW), Eric Hilton (Thievery Corporation) , Laura Dawn (Creative and Cultural Director for MoveON), Shepard Fairey, Spike Lee and Van Jones (Founder of Green for All).

Presented by gallery partners MoveOn PAC, the Service Employees International Union, and Obey Giant, the Manifest Hope:DC gallery and contest, produced by the Evolutionary Media Group,  promise to be amazing and vitally important events. .  Without being overly political, here’s to real change that we can all use.

Manifest Hope: DC
3333 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20007

Joe Ledbetter

Sketch for Change is a great new project using art as a medium to raise awareness and money for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. It came to life during a brainstorming session among a group of concerned individuals who hold regular Thursday fundraising dinners.

During the recent Baby Tattoovile art retreat, artists generously donated sketches to be auctioned off to raise funds for the final push towards the general election in November.  Twenty-one artists contributed including Ana Bagayan, Gary Baseman, Glenn Barr,  Tim Biskup, Luke Chueh,  Dave Cooper, Bob Dob, Gris Grimly, Thomas Han, Julita Januszewska,  James Jean,  Joe Ledbetter, Lola, Brandi Milne,  Mark Murphy, Daniel Peacock,  Shag, Jeff Soto, Nathan Spoor,  Amanda Visell,    The sketches will go up for auction on eBay shortly with all the funds going to Obama’s campaign.

Bid generously if you can.  There are some great pieces here from several high-profile artists, and we believe its a cause that’s of the upmost importance.  It’s grass roots efforts like these that may make the difference.   Click through to the gallery featuring each sketch.

Each of the 21 sketches is now up for auction on eBay.  The auctions end on Saturday, October 25th.

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