Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary street artist, born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. Shepard has many talents as an Artist - he is  a graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY (art and clothing), who emerged from the skateboarding scene.  He became widely known during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama "Hope" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in collections at the Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He continues to make headlines with his street art as well as his polically charged prints and originals.