Shepard Fairey Joins the California Hall of Fame's 20th Class
Shepard Fairey is among the inductees selected for the California Hall of Fame's 20th class, with a December ceremony planned at the California Museum i...
By Weston Deboer
November 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Portrait courtesy Shepard Fairey and the California Museum media kit
Shepard Fairey has been named to the 20th class of the California Hall of Fame. Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced the milestone group on November 12, recognizing Californians whose work has shaped the state and reached far beyond it.
The artist, graphic designer, and activist will be inducted during a December ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento. This year's group is the Hall of Fame's largest class to date and includes figures from art, music, film, science, sports, public service, and technology.
A career built in public
Fairey's practice has moved between streets, studios, print shops, galleries, and political campaigns for more than three decades. His early Andre the Giant sticker campaign developed into the OBEY visual language, while the 2008 HOPE portrait of Barack Obama became one of the most recognizable political images of its era.
The state's official announcement also points to the scale of his public work: more than 135 large murals around the world, alongside prints and paintings held by institutions including the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Across those formats, Fairey has repeatedly used bold portraiture and graphic repetition to bring questions of power, dissent, environmental responsibility, and civic participation into public view.
Explore more of Fairey's work and connected records on the Shepard Fairey artist profile in Art Vault.
A milestone California class
The California Hall of Fame was established in 2006 and has inducted more than 180 people. The 20th class places Fairey alongside a broad group that includes Joan Baez, Dr. Dre, Jack Black, Steve Jobs, Billie Jean King, Bruce Lee, Octavia E. Butler, and Joan Didion, among others.
The California Museum says the induction ceremony will take place in December 2026, with a recording planned for its YouTube channel. The museum has not yet announced a public ceremony date.
Sources: OBEY GIANT, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, and California Museum.
