This is crazy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politics ... 6R20090207

Could serve up to 3 years in jail!

THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!

Google the District Attorney's office for Boston, and send them an email telling them what you think of this. The DA is responsible for pressing or dropping charges.

Crazy indeed.
As much as he has influenced art he still was breaking the law.
Hope he gets off lenient though.

I'm not being funny, but isn't that kind of the risk you take when you put up a piece?
How often do people whinge when hollywood actors get off for a whole variety of offences?
Is this somehow different because he is related to a "subculture"?
Sure, it sucks, but for lack of a better way of putting it... Them's the breaks.

thats the danger of being a street artist no?

He's beat many charges as he's been arrested several times. I have no doubt that the President of the United States' golden boy will probably slide out of this one.

I've got mixed feelings on Shepard Fairey. I mostly like his work even though his over-reliance on Soviet Era poster cliches is... Cliched.... And I like street art, and know there are egos involved in that stuff. But there was a recent interview with him talking about the Obama work he’s done and I simply wanted to smack his face. He was arrogant and practically attributed all of Obama’s success on his work. After every word I was hoping he’d just stop talking about how great he was. Holy crap! Then looked up some other interviews and the same stuff over and over.

I also have no doubt he’ll get out of this charge. He was posting work in conjunction with the show so at the worst ICA Boston will have to do something to take the heat.

This seriously shouldn't surprise or shock anyone. He knows what he's doing.

It's obviously very calculated and generates more publicity for himself. It's incredibly smart to keep advancing and staying in the public eye.

I'm not a fan but it's about self promotion and gets people talking.

Hahaha, this story put a smile on my face.

He will not spend a single day in prison. If so, good riddance.

Given his fame, he'll probably get off w/ a wristslap. Funny how street art becomes 'legitimate'. Bansky's street art used to be considered vandalism & now people who try to paint it away are breaking the law. Don't know why some throw so much shit towards SF. He was doing street art when some of you were listening to Raffi. Good for him that he became successful on his own terms.

Not to derail but after Banksy came down here, I was sad to see how quickly some stuff was painted over or taken. At least some of it is still there to look at.

SF's stuff is ok, but why he gets so much press is beyond me, all he does is rework other peoples images.

As for Banksy, lots of his stuff in London is vanishing as well.

I guess that does not bother me since I was 'raised' on punk flyers that were literally cut & pasted (then xeroxed) images.

Yeah, same here, but that wasn't generally accepted as changing the face of modern art at the time. And had more to do with limited resources than an artistic style (in most cases). Most of those types of flyers were cut and paste jobbies.
(I don't really want to get dragged into some weird punk poster art thingy here. But I think there's a difference between what SF does & what creators of gig flyers do... I just can't articulate it at the moment)

I feel the same way. I also feel that is the nature of any graffiti write to have that ego so neither bother me. I am a fan and will continue to be until I meet him in person and change my mind.

It sucks because his work is culturally really cool ---
Go arrest the rapists and murderers .....
BOOOOO!!!!!

I'm so tired of hearing about Shepard

Joe,
I'm sick of hearing about the Zollmen Mother. Let's trade!
love,
Alex

^And I still find that avy funny as hell.

Number One: SF is a wiener; for a number of reasons already articulated.
Number Two: Irony and Risk--the risk is what 'made him relevant' (see also, Banksy, KAWS, et. al.)

this sucks. i really dig is art. if anyone has the "mark of the giant" print they want to offload, hit me up!

Player hate all you want.He may be a douche rag, he may be a criminal, but the art is rad, and has been around forever! He has put his stolen images on everything, everywhere, and it is a part of our cultural landscape.

Andre has a Posse!

boo...!