Get Out The Vote Mural Project With Renowned Street Artist Shepard Fairey Comes to Columbus Sept. 19

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As part of the ArtsVote Ohio effort, the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), in partnership with Creative Ohio and ArtWorks in Cincinnati, is organizing the nonpartisan “Get Out the Vote” mural project with renowned street artist Shepard Fairey. The project will feature a series of temporary wheatpaste murals in Columbus and Cincinnati this fall, and a permanent large-scale mural in Cincinnati.

A total of 20 murals will be installed in Columbus on Sept. 19 at 12 locations throughout downtown, the Columbus College of Art & Design campus and the Short North Arts District. A map of locations for the murals will be available by Sept. 19.

“It’s an important moment in American politics, and it’s a moment to bring a get-out-the-vote message to the streets,” said Shepard Fairey. “I’m excited to be in Ohio right now to not only get art out there but also to be part of a movement to recognize the ideals of democracy. I believe that democracy functions most ideally when as many as possible participate.”

“We’re excited to partner with Shepard Fairey, a pioneer in public art, to use these temporary wheatpaste murals to inspire citizens to vote through this statewide collaboration,” said Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, communications and events for GCAC. “Public art has the unique ability to inspire action across a large audience. Through this project, we hope to engage Ohioans in the democratic process and empower people in the creative sector to use their voices to encourage voting.”

To further amplify the project, Orange Barrel Media will showcase Fairey’s murals, along with the work of the 12 Ohio-based artists, across their network of IKE Smart City kiosks in Ohio, expanding the artwork’s reach across more than 180 digital screens throughout the state.

Columbus business and property owner partners in the Shepard Fairey Project include: Columbus College of Art & Design, Downtown Columbus, Inc., Capital Crossroads and Discovery District Special Improvement Districts, The Day Companies, Debbie Richardson, Short North Alliance and The Wood Companies.

Additional Ohio artists also will be involved in the ArtsVote Ohio effort, designing “Get Out the Vote” themed yard signs to be distributed across the state in four cities. Twelve artists — three each from Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Dayton — will create 18″ x 24” full-color signs that will be provided for free to Ohio arts organizations and residents through arts organization partnerships in each city. A full list of arts organizations and locations where the public can pick up the free signs will be listed on the ArtsVote Ohio website (artsvoteohio.org) later in September.

Opportunities for Voter Registration
Voter registration resources will be shared as part of this program, with support from the Board of Elections and League of Women Voters. A voter registration team from League of Women Voters will be present in the Short North during the Shepard Fairey team’s installations in those locations on the morning of Sept. 19.

About the Artist
Born in 1970, Shepard Fairey has been a major figure of the contemporary street art movement. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s first with his Andre the Giant Has a Posse sticker which evolved in to the OBEY GIANT art campaign, which distributed posters, stickers and murals around Providence, Rhode Island. Fairey’s iconic 2008 Hope campaign poster for President Barack Obama encapsulates a number of the artist’s recurring concerns, including propaganda, portraiture and political power. Fairey’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

About ArtsVote Ohio
ArtsVote Ohio (AVO), a collaboration between CreativeOhio and the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), has launched its nonpartisan, statewide effort to encourage voter participation from Ohio creatives. With a robust collection of resources, including inspirational artwork from Ohio artists, AVO aims to empower artists, arts administrators, arts patrons and more with the tools and knowledge needed to encourage robust voter turnout and engagement in the legislative process. The ArtsVote Ohio effort is supported by Edwards Companies, Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Human Race Theatre, Orange Barrel Media and Tonic Studios.

Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org

The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University.

For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.

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