‘HOPE’, ‘OBEY’ artist teams with Mural Arts for project

By Bobbi Booker (Philadelphia Tribune)

Iconic contemporary artist Shepard Fairey’s distinctive form of street art has traveled around the globe. His guerrilla-style of art presentation has even influenced politics, as Fairey is best known for his HOPE portrait of President Obama that circulated thought the 2008 campaign. Now, Philadelphia is home to his first large-scale — and legitimate — mural: “Lotus Diamond.”

This year, Fairey joined forces with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program to create the public art piece, which was recently unveiled. “I think this is the best place for public art on a large scale in the country,” said Fairey. “I spent a lot of time all over the country — L.A., New York, Chicago, San Francisco — and I think that the mural program here is extraordinary. … I’ve done a lot of illegal art, but this is my first big mural here and hopefully it’s just the beginning.”

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