Shepard Fairey returns to Aspen to gift new permanent mural

World-famous street artist Shepard Fairey returned to Aspen Monday, July 21, to create a new mural for the community — a permanent work he will be painting from July 22 to July 25. 

“Aspen is a really beautiful place, and I did my show there in 2018,” Fairey said.

Fairey’s return will include a trifecta of the mural, an exhibit, and a celebration, similar to 2018. Globally known as the creator of the iconic Obama “Hope” poster, Fairey is a conscientious artist who champions art accessibility for all economic levels.

Locals and visitors alike have been watching Fairey in action, painting from approximately 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The finished mural will be officially unveiled to the public at 5 p.m. July 25, and Fairey will be present for a free, limited capacity Artist’s Reception at Studio Cuomo from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Tourists Mitch Burger and Anya Brown, visiting Denver from Columbus, Ohio, heard about the mural the morning after they arrived and spontaneously drove up to Aspen just to see the artist at work before driving back to Denver a few hours later. 

“This is my favorite artist, so we made the trip out here to see it.” Burger said. “His pieces are always super beautiful. It’s definitely going to add, rather than subtract. I am excited to see the finished product even if it’s just online.”

The couple, who display several Fairey pieces in their living room, agreed they need to return to see the finished product in-person. Burger has a Fairey-artwork style tattoo on his arm, and Brown said that they often seek out the artist’s work as part of their traveling plans.

“We try to find his artwork in different cities. When we were in New York, for instance, we walked around and tried to find all of his pieces on the street. We try to make that part of wherever we go,” Brown said

Local fans who have been stopping by include Nicole Reno and Patricia Weber, Aspenites who work at Poss Architecture.

“We are going to be walking from our office to see the progress each day,”  Reno said. 

Both Reno and Weber shared their enthusiasm for Fairey transforming the curved brown brick wall, located at S. Galena and E. Main St.

“I’m actually a big graffiti fan. I used to live close to Denver, so I used to get up with my coffee and walk around searching for Fairey’s work. When I happened to see that he was here, I came back to see his progress,” Reno said.

“It completely transforms this wall,” Weber said. “I wish it was done years ago. I am really excited.”

Another passerby, Noah Broddy, simply stopped in his tracks due to how attractive the mural is.

“It looks great!” Broddy said. “It’s fun to see him in action.”

The mural will depict an environmental image, but the exact nature of the mural will not be known until its completion. Fairey points out that the environment is an “ongoing priority for me because all of the other petty squabbles we have, if there’s no livable planet, they don’t make a difference anyway.”

Fairey views artwork similar to music — just as listeners can interpret a song lyric differently depending on the day, the same art piece could be perceived differently.

“The beauty of art is that it has the ability to have a point of view, but still have a different personal meaning for each viewer,” Fairey said. 

The 2025 mural for Aspen is a contribution from 212GALLERY, founded by Katie Kiernan, along with the generous families that helped fund it.

Fairey’s solo exhibition “One Earth” is already on view from July 20 to 27, with 100 images of recent works across two venues — 40 at Studio Cuomo and 60 at The Snow Lodge.

Other upcoming Fairey events will include a public Artist’s Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. July 26, when 212GALLERY presents pieces from the exhibition “One Earth” at The Snow Lodge, followed by a VIP Afterparty at 9 p.m. with Fairey and The ChickSmokers leading a DJ set.

For RSVPs to July 25 events, visit https://tinyurl.com/FaireyJuly25. For July 26 events, go to https://tinyurl.com/FaireyAfterParty.