SHEPARD FAIREY, By Carlo McCormick

A nice article on Shepard Fairey at artinamericamagazine.com. And the first two paragraphs hit home.

“Boston In a thank-you note written by Barack Obama to street artist Shepard Fairey f

or the pictorial provocateur’s singular contribution to branding his campaign for the presidency, the then senator wrote: “The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe that they can help change the status-quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign.”

High praise indeed from such a highly regarded public figure. But what it ultimately says—that there is a cultural equivalence between fine art shown in established venues and artistic expressions put up illegally on private or government property—represents a tacit sanction of street art from the leader of the free world that is a dramatic shift in the perceived role of art as a radical tool of social intervention.”

…Street art is the only remaining form of complete freedom of speech left in the western world, and now it may be on the brink of getting recognized. I hope it doesn’t mean it’s a step closer to is regulation, or attempted tighter regulation.