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RENOWNED STREET ARTIST AND ACTIVIST SHEPARD FAIREY’S ‘WE DEMAND CHANGE’ PORTRAIT OF PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM TO BECOME PERMANENT MURAL IN WASHINGTON DC The mural celebrates Joaquin ‘Guac’ Oliver’s life, honors the victims of mass shootings, and continues the fight for sensible gun reform
Washington D.C. (March 11, 2025): Renowned street artist and activist Shepard Fairey—best known for his iconic OBEY campaign and the Obama HOPE poster—has partnered with Change the Ref, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) to create a permanent mural in Washington, D.C., honoring Parkland victim Joaquin “Guac” Oliver.
Originally designed in 2022 and first seen at March for Our Lives rallies across the U.S., this powerful artwork will be painted over three days by Fairey, his OBEY team, and Joaquin’s father, Manuel Oliver. The mural will be unveiled on March 24 at 7th and H Street NW, marking the 7th anniversary of the historic March for Our Lives rally, when over 1.2 million people marched against our nation’s gun violence epidemic in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve seen how art can shift the conversation and bring us together in politically and culturally meaningful ways,” says Fairey. “After meeting Joaquin’s parents, Manuel, a visual artist, and his wife Patricia, I wanted to create an image that helped continue the conversation around gun safety and violence that’s led by the young people too often impacted by it. I hope the portrait’s permanent home here in DC, less than a mile from The White House, as a new administration takes office, will not only celebrate Joaquin and all the victims of gun crime, but also be a timely reminder to all that the fight for sensible gun reform is sadly ongoing.”
The mural is one of many events taking place in the nation’s capital in partnership with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Change the Ref, a non-profit founded by The Olivers following their son’s death, to reduce the influence of the NRA and to empower young people to make change. His father’s one-man show “Guac” closed on February 16 following a successful run at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Compnay, along with a free powerful lobby installation featuring activist works of art and sculpture in the lobby.
“No parent should have to go through what the Olivers have experienced, and yet the number of school shootings was at an all-time high last year. Getting to know the Olivers through the production of GUAC and their work with Change the Ref, has been such an honor. It’s thrilling to know that Downtown D.C. visitors will meet and get to know Joaquin the activist, artist, and son, even after GUAC has left our stage. Thank you to Gerren Price and Lukas Umana at the DowntownDC BID for their vital partnership of this landmark public artwork, and to Shephard and the OBEY Team for their talent and passion bringing this work to life,” said Maria Manuela Goyanes and Kimberly Douglas, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Artistic and Managing Directors.
“Joaquin’s portrait on this wall is more than just art—a powerful statement. It honors his memory and raises awareness of the ongoing tragedy of gun violence. Through this mural, we’re giving voice to those silenced and showing the world that we will not stop until we see real change,” said Patricia Oliver, Joaquin’s Mom.
“I can’t think of a more powerful artistic collaboration than Shepard Fairey and Joaquin Oliver. These two are creating an iconic addition to DC,” said Manuel Oliver, Joaquin’s Dad.
“We’re blocks away from the seat of power, where our leaders could save thousands of kids each year from being killed by gun violence if they chose to. They haven’t. I spoke out at the March For Our Lives seven years ago, in the shadow of the first Trump Presidency to demand that our leaders pay attention to kids who were dying in our schools, in our streets, and in our communities,” said Trevon Bosley, Board Co-Chair of March For Our Lives. “I’m so proud to unveil this powerful mural of Joaquin Oliver later this month, to be a daily reminder of all of those lost to gun violence—and the urgent need to put an end to the epidemic once and for all. Like Joaquin, I will fight on for a world free of gun violence—and he’ll watch over D.C. until it happens.”
The mural is funded by the DowntownDC BID who worked with business owners to coordinate, locate, and secure a location site in downtown D.C.
“On behalf of our partnership with MRP, we are excited to offer Gallery Place as the location for the new mural by artist Shepard Fairey. This mural will add to the vibrancy of east Downtown. Shepard Fairey’s art is known for sparking conversation and connecting people through powerful visuals. We hope this mural becomes a place of pride for our community and a new landmark for both residents and visitors to enjoy. We’re proud to help bring this important work of art to Washington, D.C., and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on the neighborhood.” Robert Hoffman Principal, Global Fund Investments.
“Art is an incredibly powerful tool to preserve legacies and encourage courageous discussions, and we’re honored to work with Shepard Fairey and Manny and Patricia Oliver to celebrate and remember Joaquin along with others affected by the Parkland School shooting. This new mural in downtown D.C. is a reminder that public artwork can contribute to important conversations we’re having as a society,” said Gerren Price, President and CEO, DowntownDC BID.
ABOUT SHEPARD FAIREY
Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Fairey became passionate about art at an early age and went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1989 he created the “Andre the Giant has a Posse” sticker that transformed into the OBEY GIANT art campaign, with imagery that has changed how people see art and the urban landscape. Approaching a 35-year career span, his work has evolved into an acclaimed body of art, including the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, found at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. In 2017, he collaborated with photographers to create the “We the People” series, which was recognizable globally during the Women’s Marches. A curated body of work titled “Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent” celebrating his career has been on tour since 2019 and reached London, Paris, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, and is currently circulating in various cities in the United States.
Fairey’s stickers, guerilla street art presence, and public murals are recognizable globally. He was the subject of the feature-length Hulu documentary “Obey Giant: The Art and Dissent of Shepard Fairey,” released in 2017. His works are in the permanent collections of the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others. He sits on the board of Brave New Films, People for the American Way, and the Rhode Island School of Design. His art and career have been the focus of several published books including the “OBEY: Supply and Demand” and “Covert/Overt: The Under/Overground Art of Shepard Fairey” both published by Rizzoli. Shepard Fairey has painted more than 135 large-scale murals across six continents worldwide.
ABOUT WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY
The Tony Award®-winning Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Currently co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Kimberly E. Douglas, Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly’s investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy. Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation of this city, and most of the original buildings in Washington, DC, were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.
ABOUT CHANGE THE REF
Change The Ref (CTR) was formed to empower our Future Leaders. CTR gives the kids of today the tools they need to be empowered to make changes to critical issues that affect our nation, through education, conversation, and activism. It uses urban art and nonviolent creative confrontation to expose the disastrous effects of the mass shooting pandemic. It also brings focus to the NRA’s corrupt maneuvers to buy lawmakers, while forcing solutions which are essential to healing mass shooting victims’ families’ lifelong grief. Change The Ref’s ultimate goal is to give the young generation of survivors and victims’ a disrupting voice to help lead the way to change – a more peaceful future. Founded in the memory of their son Joaquin who was one of the 17 victims, Manuel and Patricia Oliver are committed to making sure that their son’s life and the lives of the other 16 victims are never forgotten, and that real change happens to prevent future tragedies like this from happening ever again.
ABOUT DOWNTOWNDC BID
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) Corporation was founded in 1997 and is a private non-profit organization. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 140-block area of 530 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at Mount Vernon Square, to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street/Black Lives Matter Plaza on the west.
