Shepard Fairey loves libraries.
The famed artist behind the iconic “Hope” poster created for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and countless other works has created a special limited-edition scarf in connection with accessories and design manufacturing company, Echo, with a portion of the proceeds going to the American Library Association (ALA).
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Echo picked 100 creators, including Fairey, to design scarves and donate $100 from each scarf sold to a nonprofit of their choice. The fundraiser launched in September, with Fairey’s scarf being released this past Giving Tuesday.
Fairey said that he chose ALA to help protect the freedom to read and American democracy.
“I chose [ALA] because, as a nation, the only way to combat the disinformation cycle is to stay educated, stay alert, and read as much information as possible,” he said. “Removing and censoring critical pieces of literature and history only leads to authoritarianism. I chose this charity to help protect democracy and freedom.”
Fairey and Echo’s contributions will help ALA in the fight against book bans and challenges in schools and libraries across the country, said ALA President Emily Drabinski.
“We are grateful to Echo and especially to Shepard Fairey for choosing the American Library Association for this fundraiser,” said Drabinski. “We are battling forces that would strip school and public libraries of classic works of literature, and more recent works by and about people of color and people in the LGBTQ community, and we are honored to be a recipient of this fundraiser celebrating Echo’s centennial.”
The 35-inch scarves retail for $195. View all of the scarves, the featured artists, and more at Echo’s website.
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