Artist questions 'motivation and the timing' of arrest

I'd rather see Shepard's art then the eye sore Pepsi ad's that have taken over Boston. Keep bombin'....

Nothing like "Free" advertising! Everyone is going to be talking about this artist and heading to the ICA - $500 fine for countless admission tickets. Amazing!

Fairey is going to go down as a monumental artist of our time.

The man is stifling him!

Obey is the ish!! Can't No One Stop "REAL" Artist From Doin What They Love!

Graffiti is pollution. All you "open-minded" big thinkers who think that graffiti is some sort of art should open up your homes to these defacing menaces and let them paint their garbage all over the outside of your homes. If they are artists, then let them paint some pictures and sell them to people who might want to buy them, instead of defacing other people's property,and causing blight and decay.

Oh dear Lord...national attention for Boston again...artists not welcome.

I would never had heard his name had he not been arrested!

this is not art. this is crap. this is grafitti. too bad he wasn't arrested in Singapore.

This is about as ridiculous as going after Phelps for the bong photo. Shep's work inspires ideas, conversation, and countless up and coming artists. Yeah, let's punish him for that...good call, folks.

This idiot has been defacing private and public property for years with hideous "art".

--there's graffiti, and there's graffiti... --one is art, the other is akin to the male canine marking his territory.

Good work Shepard!! You are a genious in marketing as you are in art!!

The price of canvas must be exorbitant.

Tagging and Graffiti art are two different things. Taggers give graffiti artists like SF a bad name. I don't think what SF does is "pollution" as one post described it. I agree that the placement of graffiti art needs to be controlled but at the same time, I prefer the Obey and other Fairey street art to the giant corporate billboards I am forced to look at because a multinational corporation has the money to shove it in my face (Justin gave Pepsi as an example).

Arrest Taggers, promote artistry, and please come up with an alternative to giant corporate advertisementws that block my view of this awesome city we live int.

God forbid someone post art in public without permission. Welcome to the Soviet States of America.

They should thank him -- those paste ups are probably helping to hold the bridges together.

Come on over to my house Fairey. I got lots of blank walls just waiting for some ahhht.

What a joke. This is an embarassment for Boston. A waste of time and money.

This sure makes our city look bad. If Norman Rockwell painted on the side of a building, I'm sure all the old boring white people in this city wouldn't be up in arms about that. Boston should embrace its status as a hub of media and art, not prosecute it (though, it does make for a good story!)

Some "artist." All he did was colorize an AP photo of Obama and stick the campaign slogan "Hope" at the bottom of it.

Rightminded- have you seen Fairey's work? He isn't spray painting tags on overpasses. If you judge a society by its public art we're in pretty sad shape.

I was scared he had gone "Establishment" with the Hope poster. Glad to know the Man is as dumb as ever and that Boston will still provide great inspiration.

BOSTON: get over it and as you say, "suck it up". Leave him alone.

I love graffiti art, and dabble in it myself from time to time. I'm a huge fan of Shepard. This arrest does nothing more than promote his show and art. Check out London's Banksy if you are a fan of 'deviant' art.

Great,
I'm so glad Boston is such a welcoming interantional city.
Go Sehpard. Keep up the great work!

What a difference a few years and a better image makes... Funny, when the "artist" with the shaggy dreadlocks was running around putting up lite-brite images for the Cartoon Network he was practically shipped off to Guantanamo as a terrorist. But the guy who painted the Obama image is a local hero??

Give me a break, graffiti is graffiti and you shouldn't get to run rampant around town putting up images you personally consider art. There are a lot of "graffiti" artists who do some amazing work but because it's not to the liking of the ICA crowd, they're considered criminals.

This whole situation is a joke...

The Globe just loves this guy. Must be somebody's boyfriend there.

He is also facing a charge that he ignored an earlier summons to appear in court. Heretofore, it looked like only well-connected Mass pols figured they are above the law. Now well-connected artists can be added to that category.

I agree with "rightminded", if you all think he's so talented and edgy, let him spray-paint the side of your house or your car.

Seriously, someone at the Globe must be friends with this guy...it simply makes no sense that his picture is on the "front page" of t Boston.com on four separate occasions in the past week. Why do you keep doing this? It's weird.

Trash / underground "art" involving vandalizing other's property should be prosecuted. This "artist" is looking for attention and should be put to work cleaning graffitti with a tooth brush and harsh chemicals. This is just another example of liberal / free thinking / "let it be" declination of our environment and quality of life. Don't give this "artist" any legitimacy for his illegal acts.

Artists not welcome? Ugh. Please stop and THINK before making statements like that. If not for our sanity, at least to protect your own image!

Artist who post their "Art" on private property where it is not wanted, are clearly not artist. When they develop a following by doing so they are called "scam artist" can you say "scam artist?" Sure you can.

This is just as bad as musicians using the word "sampling" to deny they are STEALING others work to profit from it. A true artists creates something from nothing - - not polishing up something that is 90 percent someone else's creation. OK if you want to do that, pay the original artists some of YOUR dishonestly gained profits!

I guess he can HOPE that he doesn't get jail time.

ahh the best things always come in crappy packages......the best PR an artist can get is scandel!!!

the guy stole the photograph and just marked it up with colors... big deal! Find some real news. As for the ICA - PU!

I love that the cops got this glorified graffiti deadbeat on the way into his "shining moment." I'm all for the arts but graffiti is an infringement on society. It's pointless - to call someone else's property "your canvas" is obsurd and plain wrong. Unfortunately, in his circle he'll gain more notoriety by this arrest than good publicity. If this were Singapore, he'd lose an arm. Worked for Van Gogh.

Wonder what the reaction would be if he put up George Bush's picture all over Boston. Tarred and Feathered! Lol!

I've been following this artist's work since he was a student here in RI. I remember one morning waking up to a big billboard of Andre the Giant, right when the mayor of Providence, Buddy Cianci, was just arrested for kidnapping and beating his estranged wife's lover with a burning log, etc.! Talk of the town, even back then! As for the definition of graffiti... Interpretation of art is in the eye of the beholder. Stupid scribbles with kids' initials or names, that's annoying! But full on art can be much more beautiful than just a blank wall. Keep on keeping on, Shepard!

This will certainly help a no-name become psuedo-celebrity of the week. I am glad this fool was arrested for vandalizing our city.

Mr. Fairey certainly isn't shying away from the attention.
I wonder if he ever asked Andre the Giant for permission to use his face in those OBEY graffiti/posters?
What he and others create is art (dependent on your taste), but the act of putting it on someone's property is wrong. Get yourself a canvas or benefactor.

First off all, yes, a timely arrest guaranteeing publicity...

...but more importantly, why is Boston such a buzz kill city for art? People wouldn't be arrested in Providence or Portland for art posting...Boston could take a lesson and become a city with a little more soul, a little more funk, and encourage artiistic expression rather than repression.

I'd arrest him too, for lack of artistic taste. Derivative graphic propaganda is art these days?

Just once I'd like to see some street kid tag a modern building with a Manet or Caravaggio the side of a townhouse.

Maybe the Moon will fall out of the sky too, equally as likely.

Outstanding job BPD. Is it called artwork if it is not offensive? I think not, I would rather just look at standard brick than any "artwork".

People don't have the right to plaster whatever they want throughout the city.
There are rules for people to follow, even those who might be considered talented. Defacing public and private property is a crime. I'm glad to see officials taking this seriously.

I wonder if all Obama supporters are like this guy? Defacing property with graffiti . Using images without giving credit or obtaining permission. Hope the AP goes after him for all he is worth!

I remember remarking to my husband when we first saw this image on Storrow Drive and then near the Boston Garden, "Wow, now that is nice graffiti, not like most of what appears around here. Reminds me of the quality of a lot of those great murals that decorate Montreal."

How much public money is being spent with this ridiculousness? Don't we have more important things to worry about? He's in more trouble for posting art than he would be for carrying an ounce of pot!

Was the arresting cop Michael Galluccio...The one who ticketed the woman in labor while she was in the emergency lane during rush hour traffic? For pasting art in public? Please! Let's follow this: The money taken in from the evening for the ICA and Shepard was all tax generating income. Now what percentage of those taxes was labled for law enforcement? But pasting art from 2000 and you're dragged to jail? Go catch your partner, Bulger.

Right. To all those who say graffiti is a good thing, let him come to your home, apartment or other property and spray paint unwanted crap all over your house. And since it's art, pay him for it too!

So lets see he paints over a picture an AP photo of Obama with red white and blue colors, and he makes stickers out of a tracing of a picture of Andre the Giant and places them all over town, and he is a 'monutmental artist for our time'? God help us

finally a freelancer who makes his name known through hard work and dedication to his art , and leave it up to corporate America to mess everything up, there is no justice here.

I can't help but wonder if the Boston Police and our Judicial system could spend their time and our taxpayer's money on crimes that more negatively affect our lives. With budgets and staff being cut as well the murder rate and other crimes going up I am disheartened to see this is how they choose to "serve and protect" us.

hey rightminded

There is a differnece between graffiti and postering and there is a difference between Mr. Fairey's work and any other street artist out there. Please stop embarressing yourself and your party with heavy-handed ignorance. Boston Mayor's office/PD's attempt at making an example of Mr. Fairey is about as appropriate as fining the boston pops for a noise violation on the fourth of July. Here Here Joan Landry, what a shame.

I find it hilarious that this city can feature his art in an exhibition, yet at the same time arrest him for it.

What a message. Well done Boston.

Dear "rightminded": I'd be honored if an artists of the caliber of Shep Fairey wanted to paste anything on or inside my home. It's philistines like you who ruin Boston (great point, Joan). It's time that we support artistic freedom and declare Boston a city that is friendly to artists, and one that does not confuse order and oppression. And let's put Menino on notice that unless he changes his stance on this, we'll throw the bum out.

O B E Y

I am all for the arts but he is being charge like anybody would be if caught defacing public property. And, this guy is capitalizing on all this attention so he should be thanking the police. I would respect him more if used other avenues for his art. I did get a kick out of one post the other day calling this guy a hero. What has he done to be a hero? It's mostly about self promotion with him and he seems kind of arrogant if he thinks he can just go around spray-painting art with any consequences! I also like Righminded's post too!

putting up art without permission? What kind of a crime is that?

Most of what this "artist" does, is just copying, or plagarizing, existing, sometimes copywritten, images. A little Photoshop, or iPhoto, and you too can be an "artist". Little imagination, limited palette, repetitive themes, BORING!!!!

The law is the law, I'm sure he knows it and art is in the eye of the beholder

Lock this clown up - let him beautify the Charles street Jail

One of these warrants -not sure if the Storrow Drive or the BU bridge one - is nine years old.

And now the BPD is looking for more?

This is beginning to look a lot like harassment.

The cops should be careful. Andre the Giant has a Posse.

What are we, Communists?

I went to RISD with Shep and spent many hours in the print studio with him. He's a dedicated artist and all-around wicked nice guy. It's not about the money to him. It's DIY inspired and beautifully done guerilla street art (like Dropsy). The brilliance of the Andre the Giant 'campaign' is that it is STILL ongoing, grows, and morphs into other people's adaptations - art for the people. But with these arrests, maybe Shep is getting his street cred back and even more free press!

It's a very sad sign of where America is headed when someone like Shepard is getting harassed by the law. Shepard is producing high art, but because it's got nothing to do with selling crap products or right wing propaganda, the authorities are up his butt with a microscope. If I can ignore the ugly billboards and placards pasted all over this city, the close minded morons crying graffiti can ignore Shepard.

As a photographer, I feel that he ripped off another artist. Why should he be able to profit on another's work, just by adding some shading or color? If he stole one of my photographs to enrich himself without permission, I would do everything legally possible.

The biggest issue is the timing and manner of his arrest. Here's a guy who's bringing positive press and revenue to Boston, attending events with the Mayor during the week. If you need to charge/fine him for defacing property ok, do it. But don't do it just before he's going to headline an event. Terrible form.

He knew exactly what he's doing. I don't feel bad for him at all. He's cashing in...he'll pay some fines, reach an agreement, and won't go to jail. What's the big deal? He broke the law. If someone walked up to your house and spraypainted an ugly, boring face with the word "Obey" under it, wouldn't you want them to foot the bill for cleaning it? Boston stifles the arts in some ways - this isn't one of them. Graffiti is art, and effective art, precisely because it strives to undermine the "system" and appear where it shouldn't be. He's supposed to be arrested. If it's accepted, then it's not graffiti, and it loses its power. Keep that in mind.

Since he is trying to make connections with the new administration, other likely charges will be for not paying his taxes.

Old School Providence Graf artist right there....keep on bombin.

Throw the book at him. 'Guerilla Art' is not even a cocktail party phenomenon. If he cared about the 'art' of the historic architecture that he was illegally covering up, he would post on a frame or removable placard while attaching a donation box to the work of art. Then a passerby who liked it could donate to the PROPERTY OWNER who has been inconvenienced by his biodegradable wallpaper glue, and has to scrub this crap off while 17 degrees outside.

A mere counterfeiter. Too bad Andy Warhol isn't around to take him to loft cocktail parties in SoWA. At least Jean-Michel Basquiat had an original style. I'd like to catch him tagging my building and 'HOPE' this is his fifteenth minute.

Regardless of what you think of his work, he has been monumentally successful in the goal of any artist - to have an impact on those who experience it. Like Christo and Pollack, he has everyone debating age-old questions: "Is this art?" "Who decides?" "Can one create anything that is truly new?" The fact that he has you talking is evidence of his success.

I don't understand why Fairy's "Hope" painting is so prominent. I mean it's fine for the campaign, but in the end it screams "Warhol Ripoff" and I find it odd that everyone PRETENDS that the painting is so important.

He's worked in guerilla advertising for corporations and shills shirts for Nordstrom. His arrest is another media triumph for all those who love the IDEA of being an artist, and another easily won victory for advertising's colonization of everyday life. I'm not remotely conservative artistically; I just hate when people don't even NOTICE when the avant-garde is being cynically co-opted.

Obviously, if they're enforcing eight-year-old warrants for $100 offenses, the Boston police department is ripe for huge, huge budget cuts and layoffs. VERY useful to know that money is better spent elsewhere. Thanks, union!

***"Tagging and Graffiti art are two different things.***"

Really? If it's done on property that doesn't belong to you, and you don't have the permission of the owner, then as far as I'm concerned it's the same thing. I'm not a neanderthal on this issue, mind you, and I realize some graffiti artists are truly "artists." They just need the permission of the owner, that's all, or else it's vandalism pure and simple.

how about I tag your house with an Obama painting? No?

I guess it's a really good thing then that his art didn't contain any "Lite-Brights" or they'd have tried to charge him as a terrorist, and ship him of to Gitmo.
But an interesting question is if these warrants had existed for so long why wasn't he served before this? I'm guessing that they were John Doe warrants for who ever posted those bits of graffiti art, and he only came to their notice with the notoriety of the Obama image. If that is so then they don't know if HE is the one who posted the pictures even though he created them.

Fairey's grafitti can not be tolerated. Why? What if his art were racially insensitive? What if it offended the gay community? What if people just don't want to see it? If we make an exception for Shep, then we have to tolerate grafitti from all others - taggers, true artists, hate groups, etc. A rt is way too subjective for the city government to decide what grafitti is tolerable and which is not. Grafitti should not be tolerated not matter what. This is a cheap self-promoting stunt on the part of Shep and I'm deeply disapointed. He should respect public and private property just as most of us do.

Sadly, the privatization of public space, that greatly restricts the diversity of collective life, means that public sidewalks and streets are practically the ONLY remaining sites for unscripted political activity. This erosion of public space and the 'public sphere' threatens our commitment to free speech and expression. Public spaces are the last domains where the potential to communicate is not something 'bought and sold'. Yet, the city is becoming less open, less public, and less inclusive in the name of 'quality of life' and the sanitization/Disneyfication of street life.

Statute of limitations hasn't run on this, yet? I don't get it....SOL on crimes other than rape or murder is 7 years...it's been at least 9 since the alleged graffiti here. What's going on?

Grafitii is trash it needs to be stoped.

that's it boston! keep up the good work! we must stay as narrow-minded and myopic as humanly possible, especially when it comes to the arts! doing things differently will get you nowhere! graffiti is all part of the liberal agenda! defend yourselves and your beautiful brick walls against creativity!

So if the BPD has money to spend on arresting Shep Fairey and no one else that spray paints the city with unauthorized graffiti/art then this is just plain harassment. How long has it been the policy to arrest someone for doing this? Never. Until someone with a large following comes along and then the city can make a big festival out of it. Well guess what the city has embarrassed its self and destroyed its reputation for being a great city. They also upset a lot of people that can make life hell here in the city by their ability to vote. You can bet I will not be voting for the current administartaion.

I personally had planed on visiting the ICA for his show anyway. Now it was a large crowd instead of a small one thanks for ruining the experience BPD. But i must say this i loved the show.

why is it that so many that worship Obama are criminals, like this loser?

Applying graffiti on your own personal property or with the permission of the property owner may or may not be art.
Applying graffiti on property without the permission of the property owner is vandalism. This is not a very complex issue.

This guy's 'art' can't be very good if the only place he can find to 'paint' it is on the side of private and public buildings. If he were an artist, he could sell his art and afford to buy canvas for future works!

Art is a waste of time.

Won't this guy ever go away? He's like Joe the Plumber.. same tired theme rehashed for personal profit.

I love all the ultra-liberal,never worked an honest day in their life, artists-on-mommy-and-daddy's-payroll screaming that this arrest is "harassment." Since when is being arrested for committing a crime a form harassment? Lest all you moonbats forget, graffiti is a crime. Just because you call it "art" doesn't make it legal. Get a life; and more importantly - GET A JOB!

One poster wrote "As for the definition of graffiti... Interpretation of art is in the eye of the beholder". Answer: markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom, or the like.

In other words, illegal. If it's an obscenity or the most beautiful picture ever painted, if the "artist" doesn't have permission then it is ILLEGAL. There's no gray area here. I'm sure there's a ton of building owners who would love to have this man paint their wall, legally.

I have been THRILLED to see Andre's face all over Boston. I'd like to know if any of you nay-sayers OR the BPD are half as intelligent, thoughtful, or ballsy as Shep. The BPD should mind its own business, and quit making an example of SF (ESPECIALLY on the night of his ICA opening).

That was a real classy move, BPD, nice job. Guess you can only catch the easy targets, eh?

Go get rid of the lame high-schoolers who spray paint local businesses and NOT the street artists.

"KEEP QUESTIONING THE DOMINANT PARADIGM!!!"

I don't find anything wrong with Shepard's color "transformation expression", as he puts it. It makes for a good T-shirt. I do however think you need to get permission from the owners of a copyrighted image before you change it in the name of art. As well as getting permits to change the appearence of any structure. I'm sure everyone who covers a song with their own twist has to pay for that permission from the original artist. Shepards "expressions" shouldn't have any exemption from these rules.

Justinboston101-

Shepard Fairey was just hired by Pepsi and Mountain Dew to do some guerilla advertising for them. Look it up, I'm not kidding.

He is a SELL OUT. Not an artist, he copycats existing work and only tweaks it slightly.

I love his work and fully embrace the "guerilla" nature of putting a provocative image someplace (illegal) where people see it and it amuses them or makes them think, BUT, let's face it, if you make your name doing this sort of art sooner or later you have to pay the piper. And he probably swore off earlier warnings from the Po-po to stop it. I'd guess that perhaps he even taunted them or ignored their orders somehow -- and thus the timing of his detainment.

In the end only the crowd of paying show-goers gets screwed, the artist will be made even more famous, and his work.

To all you idiots saying "oh let him go and tag your walls" - there are plenty of business owners who do just that. And given time, some of these "vandals" create beautiful murals, which in turn are respected by other graffiti artists.

Of course they're in the not-so-nice parts of town, certainly not the Back Bay, the waterfront or your community, so naturally you'd have no clue about this. Personally, I'd love to have a nice mural on my property, but I wouldn't survive the architectural commissions and historical societies and snooty neighbors like you.

The power of art to transform society has the floor.

He paid someone to arrest him.... how else could he get soooo much FREE PR.

This is once again a symbol of the schism between educated and progressive Bostonians who were willing to pay as much as $500 a ticket to see Shepard's art and the closed minded police department and Mayoral administration who continue to keep Boston a provincial, second rate City. I guess "Banned in Boston" is making a resurgence in the 21st century.

I think some community service is in order- Roxbury "tags" could use some cleaning.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Part II.

"I'm making art that not everybody likes," Fairey told reporters. Umm, right! But if this egotistical, “outlaw artist” believes that he was arrested because people don’t like his art, he’s way wrong. He was arrested for posting it illegally. And I love how he responds to the AP’s lawsuit with "They are suppressing an artist's freedom for transformation expression". Just a fancy phrase for “Boo-hoo! The Man won’t let me steal someone else’s work, colorize it, and sell it as my own countercultural, subversive art. The Man is so un-hip.” This guy does not have an original idea in his head. But I do agree that he is a marketing genius, and that may just be the true art of the 21st century!

#16 couldn't be any more correct with that statement, haha

there is also a huge difference between tagging and graffiti, go look it up. Then come back and make an educated statement instead of writing nonsense.

The Boston police feel that they answer to no one, since the mayors son is one of them, they can do whatever they want. If they really think this art is wrong (I think the billboards on our bus stations and plastered over our highways is much worse) why didn't they contact him about it, instead of arresting him when he is about to perform, just to make themselves feel good? Do they really have all that extra time to do that, instead of asking him to voluntarily come in?

Boston cops are lazy and don't bother solving real crimes, so instead they harrass someone high profile to make it seem like its worth having them.

LOSER He's almost 40 and is tagging OTHER people's property WITHOUT PERMISSION. It's vandalism How would he feel if people decided to tag the walls of his house without permission

"why is Boston such a buzz kill city for art"

I'll tell you why - Boston is run by whatever dynamic is occurring between the elected officials and the cities' unions at a given time.

Since everyone knows that cops are as square as a Swiss foundation, we shouldn't be surprised when they treat anything left of a Currier and Ives print as subversive.

Make him pay restitution to all the property owners he vandalized.

stop complaining....If you can't do the time, Don't do the crime

I've seen human waste that can qualify for art better than his "masterpieces." Arrest him and make him clean it all up wearing an orange jump suit.

YO-Fairey--How 'bout I do some "art" on your ICA stuff??
I got like this big can of black spray-paint. I call my "art" GRAFITTI-GO-BYE-BYE.
I know you will support my right to free expression!! It is called, "Do unto others as they do unto you".

"Suspect Fairey continues to engage in a constant and systemic assault on Boston neighborhoods."

Jesus... what's he doing, stabbing people with paint brushes??

Relax people... he's an artist for god sake. Pretty sure the streets of Boston have bigger issues to be focusing on.

Plus, ya'll just gave this man the best publicity in the world... FREE!

This is messed up. Who is the Prosecutor who is handling the case. He should be fired for this stunt. Must be a republican. Martha Cokaly, if you want my vote for senate, as AG you better remove who ever is doing this

I didn't realize so many school kids read boston.com. Shouldn't you kiddies be in school?

I'd rather he didn't deface public property with his otherwise thoughtful and provocatively intellectual message.

Legitimate expression is protected and required and more people should practice it, but please....put up your messages on easy to move/remove signs or ask permission from the property owner.

He made a political point, and so did the BPD, so it's up to us the public to sort it out! Good luck everyone!

Dear vandalism friends,

I'm looking forward to your reaction after that stuff happens to you.

Until then, you're just irrelevant.

To the happy guy who said he'd be proud if this artist would tag his house, he is missing a point - vandals don't ask for permission, and you don't get to choose the vandal that tags your stuff.

Honestly, if it's art you know somebody would let him use their property. Plus, he is a corporate shill anyway - gotta love the people who do not do their homework and project this image of Robin Hood over a paid guerilla marketer.

Seems like a royal waste of time and money by the Boston Police Department. Aren't there more important things to attend to than arresting a street artist?

using computers to create images is not a reflection of artistic ability. This guy isn't a bomber...

What does vandalism and the defacement of public and private property have to do with being an artist? I hope he goes to jail where he belongs.

He loves getting arrested. Helps his cred. Beyond that, his assertion that he was arrested because he's doing art "not everybody likes" is a howler. This city is chock full of artists who are doing more provocative things, and doing them better. Why aren't the police raiding them? They busted this pompus fool because he shot his mouth off, probably half hoping he'd get pinched anyway. The only "bad judgement" the police have shown is obliging this hack rip-off artist by rolling him up. He also has said "They are suppressing an artist's freedom of transformative expression" in regards to the AP and their suit against him for using one of their images. Meanwhile, HE goes after people who riff on his art. Please, check on line for gallery openings and open studio times of talented, original artists and leave this businessman's exhibition space at the ICA as empty as he.

To all the naysayers, I'm sure there are a ton of posters here who would love to have their home or car turned into a work of art by Shepard Fairey or any other quality urban artist. Lighten up. You live in the city. This kind of thing comes with it and you knew that going in.

I love all the ultra-liberal,never worked an honest day in their life, artists-on-mommy-and-daddy's-payroll screaming that this arrest is "harassment."

Maybe you should work out your own overwhelming feelings of financial and personal failure with a professional, instead of on a message board.

I live in the South End, and not a single day goes by without several
drivers not stopping at a crosswalk I am crossing. In three years in
Boston, I have never seen the Police Department enforcing pedestrians'
rights, not once. Now I know why: there clearly are far more important
things the BPD has to protect us from. Thank you for being so vigilant
on our behalf.

As for Fairey's complaint about the "motiviation & timing of his arrest - I'm only sorry they couldn't have inconvenienced him more.

The "world" is not his canvas, anymore than it's mine. People spend money cleaning up after him. In spite of his and his supporter's claims, he's not an artist. He's a vandal.

As others have said, publish his address and we'll have a FlashMob at his house and have a ball tagging his home & car.

I suspect the "artists" out here won't find that amusing or "insprired" in the least.

I just love double standards.

Criticize the guy all you want - call him a deadbeat, a criminal, a terrible artist, a hack, anything you can possibly think of that can defile and insult his character and his talent and this creative vision. He has been doing this for 20 years. He is the mastermind behind a multi-million dollar clothing company. His work was featured on the cover of one of the most popular magazines in the world. Do you really think he needs or wants your support?

Graffiti is advertising that has not been paid for. Usually an ad for the artist and Fairy has been a master since the days Andre had a posse. All in all his work is far less objectionable than that of Clear Channel, but since they paid to be offensive, none of their officers will ever face arrest.

BTW, did the police have trouble finding him when he was shaking Menino's hand in Government Center?

At least he's not putting up LED displays of Aqua Teen Hunger force characters. I can't believe the police arrested him, and gave him MORE media attention. If they quietly fined him, or sent a bill to his office, he wouldn't get the attention they don't want him to have..I'm betting that he wasn't even in town to put whatever tags they're accusing him of. if you go to the intersection of congress and stillings st, there is a OBEY tag on the side of the building about 6 stories up..I doubt he did that one personally

Anyone who can stick it to the MBTA - deserves a round of applause.

Why do people call what this guy does "Art"??? From everything I've seen, he's a vandal first and foremost (and don't tell me that vandalizing someone elses private property is "art") and he steals other people's images, copies them, puts on a few new colors and then calls it his own work. Seems like a fraud to me.

All the youngens that are sticking up for this rippoff artist "cuz he's wikked kool!" make me concerned for our future. These are the same people who yelled so loudly for Obama and when asked why they support him they simply say, "change." This country is sinking deeper and deeper.

OBEY the New Worl Order that Obama represents!

He can come and deface my house with his Graffitti/Art anytime he want's, keep up the movement. Way to go Shep peace from thegiant.___

I'm glad he's getting so much attention. Maybe the arrest wasn't so bad afterall since his name will now be in your head and the next time you stumble upon some graffiti with "Obey" written on it, you'll know who it is! its kinda awesome! i keep noticing his stuff all over Boston and I'm glad. It gives this crumy city something to spice it up. I mean, he's not going to spray paint your car or your house, you can sleep soundly tonight. he's merely "pasting" up his "art" on the side of buildings, most of them which are raggedy looking and abandoned. if anything, it gives them life.

I can't wait to go to the ICA this Thursday :)

Nothing but a plagiarist, who steals others ideas and capitalizes upon them for his own financial gain. No wonder he is a hero to slackers all over the world. Another dirty deadbeat who thinks he is above the law. Not this time donkey.

How is it that the same prints that are considered 'fine art' inside the ICA are seen as 'graffiti' on the street? Do those of you who think he is 'defacing property' have a membership to the ICA? Do you think that his sanctioned pieces are graffiti too? It's the same prints, so you think one is art because someone paid him for it and gave permission, while the other is trash because he didn't ask first?

The reaction of Boston police is typical of this town and typically American. Do they really believe that by making this MORE taboo that it will discourage our younger genreations from making 'graffiti'?

This is all about selling more tshirts. Don't let the "art" excuse fool you. Fairey steals his images from other artists, doctors them and calls them his own.

It is very effective style of gorrilla marketing, but what if every company/corporation subscribed to this style of marketing?

THIS ISNT EVEN ART!!!!. its plaguerism to the enth degree. if he was a TRUE artist, he would of created his own original image. its not even drastically altered. he should be handcuffed for this....so typical of todays mediocre wannabees, copy, copy copy.....

The man's art is good, but he really ought to use his own canvas. Otherwise he's just a vandal with talent.

Seems to me the Boston Police, need some real assignments for fighting crime. Let's close all the Dunkin Donuts down, and maybe we'll see a decrease in REAL crime .

Heff Borg - What's the difference between the "lame high schoolers" and this "street artist"? They are doing the exact same thing - vandalizing property that they do not own! Get a grip.

#92 Very educated, i can see that your conservative upbringing has brought you very far in life. You think all democrats don't have jobs. Thats a very intelligent statement. Just for your information, I graduated from a university, I work 2 jobs and I'm an artist...oh and im a liberal. Maybe you should build a time machine and travel back in time to the 16th century. Then bring all the people of salem back so they can join the conservative witch hunt.
Get an education Tom

funny he complains of being inconvenienced. What about the people whose property he vandalizes. I guess he is not worried about them being "inconvenienced".

Do any of you concerned citizens know if the Logan airport state police ever found that brick of plastic explosives they let drive away on the bumper of a truck during a dog training exercise a couple of years ago?

The most hideous atrocities in the history of humanity were committed by people following the rules. Rules should be questioned, challenged, and from time to time, reconsidered. You could arrest every street artist in the country and there would still be street art. The police can't stop this and cities waste small fortunes with feeble attempts to "crack down" on it. There are ways to address and resolve the issue in a way that serves both artists and municipalities. The "crack down" method is a joke though. Fairey's show will generate millions in revenues for the city of Boston. It's great PR, because having great art is part of being a world class city. Too bad Boston's "finest" don't really see the big picture

It looks like he just scanned the AP photo in his computer and manipulated it in Photoshop. Not very original. I hope the Associated Press wins their copyright infringement lawsuit.

If he is so concerned with the law, how about lobying for a change.
As it stands now what he is doing is against the law. He's arrogant, not that talented ,and knows full well what he's doing. Then he plays victim. Yeah that's mature.

It's not public art what he is doing. The city is making it clear they dont want it in their city. It's rather adolecent this defacing of property, yet he's 40....

This clown needs to get over himself and find something creative to do. Finding new and inventive ways to copy the work of others and get all the attention he can is not "creative".

I'm with Tommy B. It is such a simple issue. No Permission = Vandalism.

Anyone every read the story about how NYC sucessfully fought crime? It started with fighting graffitti / vandalism. Once you let people paint, post, tag, or otherwise deface property without permission it encourages and perpetuates other crimes.

Not only is shep's art great, but dont you think that the BPD has something better to do than to arrest street artists. Statistics show that Boston has worse crime than NYC and LA. No matter your view of his art, you must agree that the police MUST have something better to do.

Why does Boston have to suck so bad! I’m surprised the Bomb squad wasn’t involved somehow; perhaps a suspicious sticker.

to every single ignorant prick that said let these kids paint your homes and see how you like it, if your going to open your mouth atleast do some research so you dont sound like a dumbass. Graffiti artists have a code why do you think graveyards, monuments, churches, trees and cars arent tagged up, granted there are isolated incidnets of that happening, most of the taggers preffer to pain public property. And if you live in big apartments in big urban cities and theres graffiti on your building and you dont like it, then move because graffiti is just as much a part of major cities as bums sleeping on benches and traffic jams, yet i dont see you trying to stop that...

This guy's "art" defaced a grate outside of my father's business. Not fair for this guy to get free advertising on someone else's proerty. Not to mention, it's ugly.

I am sick of the lame excuse, "I want people who do graffiti to have their houses defaced." Shut up, you have no idea what you are talking 80-90% of writers follow a moral system that involves never writing on someone's home, and it is generally looked down upon in the community as well.

Shephard Fairey is a genius whose work promotes something. Think about the person chilling in their house all day wanting to make a change, and then think of the person who actually does something about it. Its art, so be serious...and on the real, its not like he hurt people, and his work is visually appealing. He shouldn't be prosecuted. And all graffiti/street artists are not criminals. Maybe some people need to escape.

This is acomplete embarrassment for Boston. I also think that Fairey has a legitimate point regarding the timing of the arrest--given that his maximum penalty is a small fine, the timing of the arrest was itself intended to be punitive because it prevented Fairey from attending the opening of his show. Why did BPD and the City feel it was necessary to make Fairey an example, of all people? And would someone please tell me what they wished to make him an example of, because right now he simply looks like someone that somebody in a suit or a uniform decided needed to be taken down a peg. BPD and the City have yet to realize that they only succeeded in taking themselves down a peg. If I were Fairey I'd print up some posters with Whitely Bulger's face on it over the word "Wanted" and post them around town. I don't think the meaning of that art would be lost on anyone here in Boston. What a fine use of scarce municipal resources this arrest was. God save us from people who think that art is only art if it hangs in some temperature- and humidity-controlled gallery in a building with a columned entrance. Paris in the '20s this ain't.

38. This man, is 38 years old. Maybe time to grow up a little and move his 'art ' into a studio where it can be appreciated by those who are into it, and not forced on those( especially the property of those) who are not.
Stop the entitlement, stop the tantrumming I'll do what i want and have some courtesy for others. Yeah, I know, that's a tough one.

I want to know what job is held by "tom" in post 92 that allows him to hang around an internet bulletin board at 2:30 PM on a Monday afternoon.

Why is it illegal? Because some rich, old white man a long time
ago who still believed women had no rights SAID SO.
Im sure if you were raised to believe it wasnt so "morally wrong"
you wouldn't be saying this was.

Also, what kid has enough money to afford canvas? And a place
to stretch it? A person would end up spending more money creating
a spot for him to express himself then on paint to do so in the first
place!!!

I would be stoked if he came to my house and put up some of his art or did some spray painting.

BOSTON POLICE are a joke all around the US.
They shut down the whole city over a light bright (in the other city's cops weren't so stupid, just Boston).
Also, they hit the national news again when they provided a high speed police for gay porn starts. This is just another way they are making Boston look like a HUB for stupid policemen and women.

escort

Boston, outwardly liberal, conservative on the inside.

Thank you BPD for arresting this thug, It's about time some of these "artists" are put away for defacing public property. I say he should be required to pay for all of the damage he has done or face some serious jail time to send a message to these fools. He's just like every other Obama supporter in that he's living off the work of others!

The guy has alot of talent, except the Golden rule, "Don't mess with someone else's property", he has the $ to rent a gallery if needed. Unfortunately Graffiti and urban art is part of pop culture and will continue no matter what we do. BPD, bad call, your just helping the graffiti movement by creating a Pariah.
We have a lot of unsolved murders and serious crimes to focus on ex: Rebecca Payne(R.I.P), and don't we have a budget crisis or is that also Boston Globe hype?

The BPD was merely engaging in a valid form of performance self-expression by 'tagging' , or 'Guerilla Arresting', Mr. Fairey. Why can't you Phillistines accept that what the police do is a natural extension of their inner selves?

Shepard Fairey is amongst the new breed of artists. Clearly, it is misunderstood by many readers posting their thoughts here. Besides his acts of guerilla art, he is an international multi-media phenom. His work for corporate clients are seen everywhere, yet he remains accessible to the disenfranchised. Mr. Fairey demonstrates a willingness to pay it forward and contribute to many important causes. He stays grounded in his roots. So, if you haven't seen the line of clothing bearing his artwork, the toys with his designs, his very stylish magazine, you'll have to believe me, he can afford canvas. It would also be a trivial comment to compare him to a modern day Robin Hood, but we all need a hero somedays.

Shepard Fairey did not get invited to do a retrospective at the Boston Art Museum for tagging a bridge. For the last two years he has been one of the most important emerging artists in the world. Graffiti and street art are not recent phenomena, they has been around for thousands of years. When you visit Pompei you have to pay extra to see it. When Banksy "tags" a building in London they tear down the building and sell the wall at auction for $500.000. Obviously there is bad and unpopular tagging and graffiti but there is no shortage of bad art anywhere and everywhere. Billboards, TV and radio commercials, ads on the sides of buses, spam, junk mail, boiler room phone call intrusions into our privacy, we are daily inundated with bad art. Little or nothing is done to limit or control these eyesores and blatant and often illegal attempts to separate us from our hard earned money. The Boston Police need to reorder their priorities. They take payoffs from the pimps whose whores roam the Boston Streets They arrest and imprison us for the use of recreational drugs that harm no one. They arrest Shepard Fairey and justify it by telling us they are just doing their job when in fact it is an outstanding example of the fact that they are not really doing a very good job at all. Street art may be illegal but that does not mean that it isn't art. If you have a problem with Mr. Fairey being in Boston, perhaps you should address your complaints to the Boston Museum. Or better yet, perhaps, you should make you way slowly and carefuly into the twenty first century and clean your own house before you take on the world.

Anyone remember the Boston Police Department's strike just before the DNC in '04? Guess they're just used to bullying us to get their way.

Rather, I should say bullying "you", because thankfully I don't pay taxes to MA any more!

Wow, the comments are amazing! What is art? That's what part of this is about. My conception of art may be different from yours...and that's fine. Is there a statute of limitations on graffiti in MA?

Go Shephard!

Zuijtf comment3 ,

Fairey's work is not art, it's propaganda. And it's ugly. And it isn't wanted. And he deserved to be arrested, and for sure I wouldn't mind one bit if the US government DID ship the bastard to Gitmo. His stuff is FILTH. If you like photographs of crucifixes floating in urine-filled drinking glasses, then you ought to love Fairey's garbage, too.

To all the people on this message board who are slobbering over Shepard Fairey - let him paint his garbage on the sides of your house. You can stare at it all day if you want...but Not In My Back Yard. If you want to see how graffiti "transforms" a city, go to Manhattan or Rome. If Bostonians think Fairey's "art" is "beautifying", well, no WONDER the art world positively STINKS today!