Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent is Coming to Providence, RI!

October 11, 2019

Providence-Facing-the-Giant_Flyer-SQ-EDITs-as220

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
David Dvorchak – AS220 Communications Director
(401) 225-4823 / david@as220.org

AS220 and RISD collaborate with Shepard Fairey for 100th mural, a 3-decade exhibit, and lecture in Providence

AS220 Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Shepard Fairey are celebrating 30 years of OBEY GIANT in the city where his first iconic sticker was slapped onto an unsuspecting public while he was a student at RISD – Providence, Rhode Island. Fairey will present In Conversation with Shepard Fairey: Three Decades of Dissent, a public lecture at the RISD Auditorium (17 Canal Walk, Providence) on Monday, October 21st, paint his 100th mural on the Founder’s League building (91 Clemence Street, Providence) from October 21st – 25th, open an exhibit for Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent on Friday, October 25th, at 233 Westminster Street.

On Friday, October 25th, there will be a public opening for the Facing the Giant exhibit at 233 Westminster Street from 6 – 9 PM. For this survey of the last three decades, the selected 30 artworks will be shown as 30 x 41-inch hand-painted multiples (HPMs) which are prints on unique collaged backgrounds with additional stenciling and embellishments. These fine art prints will be available for purchase and a portion of the sales will further support AS220’s All Access Campaign. The show will be up until November 16th, with open hours from Tuesday to Saturday, 12 – 6 PM.

According to OBEY, the works on display at Facing the Giant were “chosen for their importance aesthetically and conceptually, and for addressing critical topics and themes frequently recurring throughout Fairey’s career” including “phenomenology, self-empowerment, rebellion, abuse of power, environmental destruction, racism, gender equality, xenophobia, campaign finance reform, the military industrial complex, propaganda, war and peace, and economic imperialism.”

On Monday, October 21st, RISD will present In Conversation with Shepard Fairey: Three Decades of Dissent, from 7–8:00 PM at the RISD Auditorium, 17 Canal Walk, Providence. There will be a 15-minute documentary screening about Fairey’s last 30 years of work, followed by a conversation with RISD Senior Critic Tom Roberts. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP at risd.cc/OBEY. Public can also watch via livestream.com/risd.

Limited media opportunities with Shepard Fairey are available. Requests must be sent to David Dvorchak at AS220 (david@as220.org / (401)-225-4823) to coordinate with Obey.