Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, SC. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. While at RISD, he created the “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker that transformed into the OBEY GIANT art campaign, with imagery that has changed the way people see art and the urban landscape. His work has evolved into an acclaimed body of art, which includes the 2008 "Hope" portrait of Barack Obama, which can be found in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Fairey created the first of his iconic works in 1989, making 2019 the 30-year mark of his career. In addition to his guerrilla street art presence, the artist has executed 135 large-scale murals across six continents as of 2023. His works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and many others.