Mural Mile
Rock Hill Welcomes Street Artist Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey will be installing a mural in downtown Rock Hill at 153 E. White Street.
The influential street artist has been a consistent presence in national and international art scenes since the 1990s. Fairey's work has become widely known since the 2008 US presidential election for his Barack Obama “Hope” and Inauguration poster that hangs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. He is also known for his activist artwork and graphic design and is the founder of the “OBEY” clothing brand.
Fairey has strong ties to Rock Hill. Both of Shepard’s grandparents are from Rock Hill. Not only was one grandfather, Dr. Charles Davis, the sixth President of Winthrop University, his other grandfather was one of Rock Hill’s most prominent surgeons for nearly 40 years. He still has family members that reside in Rock Hill.
The Fairey mural is part of a bigger effort to establish a “Mural Mile” in downtown Rock Hill. “We are so excited that an international artist of Shepard Fairey’s caliber has chosen to share his work with our Rock Hill community,” says Cathy Murphy, the Development Manager for the City of Rock Hill. “This endeavor will truly bring attention and credence to our ‘Mural Mile’ project being completed over the next few years.”
The mural project is a public/private partnership between Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation (using the Barre Mitchell Community Initiatives Fund), Catalyst Capital Partners/URS Capital Partners, and the Women’s Art Initiative.
Tentative dates:
Mural Install Oct 15 – 19
WU Student Talk Oct 15
Exhibit of Shepard Fairey’s work after the mural installation from 4-8:00 for two weeks after the mural is installed at 153 E. White Street.
For more information on events, exhibits, and locations please visit www.onlyinoldtown.com/shepard
