The End…

Well folks, looks like this is the end… After two years and hundreds of posts our stint at the OAR has come to a final close.  With the election long past and a few new projects demanding our time, we’ll be putting the Obama Art Report on an indefinite hiatus till the time is right again, 2012 perhaps?

Since starting this site so long ago we’ve made a bunch of new friends, met a group of amazing artists, and did our part to help get Obama elected in the ’08 election.  We’ve posted over 800 articles relating to Obama art.  We’ve gotten over 2,000 comments from supporters, art fans, and even a Republican or two.  To date, we’ve been quoted, interviewed or featured on MSNBC, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, UTNE Reader and the Chicago Tribune.  After a couple million page views, thousands of dollars we raised for the campaign, and hundreds of letters and questions it’s time to move on..  We’ll be cleaning up the site every now and again just for posterity, though if you want to keep up with me and what I’ve been up to, please check out Arrested Motion and Hi Fructose Magazine, both of which I now write for on a regular basis.

Thanks so much for all the support, we wouldn’t have been able to do any of this, or be a part of such amazing history, without you our readers.

-KH

Immigration Reform: Shepard Fairey x Sticker Robot

Editors Note: Alright, so I know I said I was all done (see the post above), but with Arizona heating up this summer I figured I should copy this quick post that I recently wrote for Hi Fructose Magazine’s website – KH

Our good friends over at Sticker Robot have rejoined forces with Shepard Fairey to kick-start a promotion for the residents of Arizona who are currently under siege, battling against Arizona immigration law SB1070. The law, which requires any suspected illegal immigrant (ie: Mexican American) to carry papers on them at all times or face possible deportation has come under fire since being signed into law; in a recent speech President Obama said that the law will “undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.” If you’re an Arizona resident, fill out this form and Sticker Robot will mail you a free sticker! Non-Arizona residents are also eligible to receive free stickers as well, learn more details about this promotion here.

Manifest Equality

Installation by Mike Murphy

Manifest Equality (previewed), the latest brainchild of the good people who brought us the Manifest Hope shows (covered), opened last month in the trendy Hollywood and Vine area of Los Angeles. Featuring a full lineup of some of our favorite artists, Manifest Equality has successfully created another well curated and ambitious show, this time around focusing on the themes of Equality, Justice, Civil Rights, Respect, Unity and Love. With artworks donated by such artists as Barry McGee, Swoon, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Gary Baseman, Clare Rojas and Logan Hicks, the show is currently raising funds for important LGBT organizations in California such as the Courage Campaign, while remaining completely free to the public.

As an added bonus, the OAR got the opportunity to accompany Manifest Hope/Equality artist Eddie Colla as he blanketed Hollywood with his Anti-Prop 8 propaganda. Check out the full pictorial recap of the show and the streets after the jump.

Releases : Defriending Cancer by Jeff Kleinsmith

Patent Pending’s Jeff Kleinsmith did this amazing poster for the recent “Defriending Cancer” show in Seattle.  It’s an 18″ x 24″ screenprint, has an edition of 250, and is $20.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Visit the Gigposters.com Classifieds.

Courtesy of OMG.

Haiti Fundraiser – “The Lost Art of Inglourious Basterds”

Upper Playground has just announced a surprise print release produced in conjunction with SA Studios and the Weinstein Company. “The Lost Art of Inglorious Basterds” will feature some of the heaviest hitters from the UP roster, which means a lot of artists who did fundraiser prints for the Obama Campaign, including David Choe (interviewed), Alex Pardee, Sam Flores, Morning Breath (interviewed), Munk One (interviewed) and many, many more. The giclee prints will be limited to an edition of only six per image, will also be signed by Quentin Tarantino and best of yet, all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief. Prints are available in person on a first come first serve basis this Thursday, February 18th at Upper Playground’s Los Angeles gallery.

Check out the rest of the prints after the jump.

Releases – Ernesto Yerena’s “Fidel”

Former Shepard Fairey assistant Ernesto Yerena released two colorways of his latest print, “Fidel” earlier today. The followup to his “El Che” from a few months ago, Ernesto’s latest continues his strong and well influenced style. Both colorways are available now through his online store (here).

New Burlesque Test Prints

The good folks over at Burlesque Design have released a recently unearthed batch of their crazy test prints. Long time readers will remember the last time they did this (here), I purchased a couple myself back then and was pretty darn happy with the results! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Burlesque, check out the interview we did with them (here).
To view the test prints, check out this link:
http://burlesquedesign.com/store/p_testprintbonanza.htm

Check out the other Obama test prints after the jump!

Haiti Fundraiser – Shepard Fairey and Studio Number One

Shepard Fairey, who is never one to pass up the opportunity to use art for a good cause, will be releasing this Haiti Fundraiser print this Friday, February 5th.  Using a photograph by Tao Ruspoli, Shepard and Studio Number One’s Cleon Peterson and Casey Ryder have designed a fun and uplifting print for these somewhat somber times.  The Relief for Haiti print will be $50, with 100% of the proceeds being donated, and will be signed and numbered.  There is no word on the scheduled drop time, so get your f5 buttons warmed up and ready!

Courtesy of Obey Giant.

Haiti Fundraiser – “Help Haiti” @ StolenSpace

Photographer Jeff Antebi has teamed up with London’s StolenSpace gallery to launch an online fundraiser for the people of Haiti. Antebi visited Haiti twice last year (you can read his experiences here) and will be releasing editioned prints of his photography to help raise funds for Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders. The prints are limited to runs of 150, are priced at a very affordable $64.50 each and are available through StolenSpace.

This post originally appeared on another site I write for (check it out!) – Arrested Motion

Haiti Fundraiser – D*Face Un-American Graffiti Publisher’s Proofs

Lahoda Fine Arts and Jet Set Graffiti have just opened the doors to their vaults and are making their exclusive publisher proof editions of the recent sold out D*Face “Un-American Graffiti” screenprint available for purchase.  To make this release even better, 100% of the profits from this sale will be donated to Haiti relief efforts!

I recently visited Modern Multiples (the printers of this edition) for Arrested Motion, if you’re interested, check it out!

http://arrestedmotion.com/2009/12/releasesstudio-visit-dface-x-modern-multiples/

To purchase one of 10 proofs, click here:

http://www.jetsetgraffiti.com/2010/01/27/dface-unamerican-graffiti-proofs/