Artist Shepard Fairey and others launched a postercampaignin the US last week titled We the People. In an interview with The LA Times, Fairey said his imagery–Latina, Muslim and African American women rendered inthe same red, white and blue that made his Hope election posters for Barack Obama famous–was a pointed reference to people who have felt attacked by President Donald Trump.
The non-profit Amplifier Foundation, which defines its mission as "amplifying the voices of grassroots movements through art and community engagement," commissioned the works by Fairey.
The foundation also led a successful Kickstarter campaign to pay for the artwork to be placed as paid advertising in theWashington Post, the New York Times and USA Today.
The goal, organisers said: to reclaim"American values and identity."
"We felt the phrase 'We the People' is pretty important. It means everyone," Fairey said, adding that they wanted the posters to convey "the idea of the melting pot and inclusion."
"Last year was a tough year. There were a lot of divisions and fear mongering in the rhetoric," Fairey said.
"Things like this give people a platform to say, 'I resist fear and exclusion.' It makes it easier for people who are afraid to express their point of view because they think they are out of step with the dominant ideology."
Fairey said his Hope posters and the We the People posters are driven by the same impulse: to provide encouragement to those who feelpowerless and deflated.
(LA Times)