Among those who have inspired my thoughts and visions for the future, Shepard Fairey, one of RISD’s alumni, is at the top of the list. The “Hope” poster for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign reinforced the idea that I hold so close to my dreams: art has the power to produce incredibly powerful messages. The “Hope” poster encouraged many to vote for Obama; but more importantly, it represented a future that many yearned to achieve. Fairey’s success in creating art to propel social and political action is an inspiration towards my own work.
