He left his mark on a presidential campaign, and now he’ll be leaving his mark on Detroit.
Shepard Fairey, the creative artsist who created the iconic “Hope” poster for then candidate (now President Barack Obama) is going to paint a section of the wall of the Compuware Building in the heart of downtown Detroit over the next two weeks.
The mural will be 184 feet tall and 60 feet wide and it will be on the side along Gratiot Avenue. It will be Fairey’s tallest to-date.
There also will be a smaller mural painted in “The Belt,” an alley between the two sections of the “Z” parking garage across the street.
“Street art is one of the most democratic outlets for art,” Fairey said. “I consider myself a multi-platform artist, not just a street artist, but the audience I found through street art has created many of the opportunities I now have on other platforms.”
There will be a couple of activities that Fairey, who is from Los Angeles, will be doing in the D. The Library Street Gallery is hosting an exhibit named “Printed Matters” which opens May 22 and runs through the month of August. Also, students from the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences will have an opportunity to work with the famous artists.
Since the progress will be visible from the street, we’ll be checking in on his work as it comes together.