		The Information you need!
		Search Archive:
	Login \| Contact Us \| Site Map \| Archives \| Photos \| Alerts Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Entertainment

Print this story | Email this story |

Comment (No comments posted.) |

Rate |

Text Size

Obama artist admits to 3 Boston vandalism charges

By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer

Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 4:14 PM CDT

BOSTON (AP) -- The artist who created the "Hope" poster of President Barack Obama was sentenced to two years' probation Friday after pleading guilty to three vandalism charges. Prosecutors dropped 11 other charges.

Shepard Fairey pleaded guilty in Boston Municipal Court to one charge of defacing property and two charges of wanton destruction of property under $250, all misdemeanors.

The 39-year-old Los Angeles street artist must pay $2,000 to a graffiti removal organization and cannot possess tagging materials -- such as stickers or paste -- in Boston except for authorized art installations. He also must tell officials when he plans to visit Suffolk County, where Boston is located.

"I think that people should be responsible about sharing their art, and that's not a transition or an evolution of my philosophy," Fairey said outside court. "Fortunately, I'm at a place in my career where I can get sanctioned spaces, so it's not an issue that I'll ever have to worry about again."

Fairey was arrested in February when he was in Boston for an event kicking off a solo exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The arrest came three days after he failed to appear in court on a charge of placing a poster on a Boston electrical box in September 2000.

In the plea deal, Fairey admitted to the 2000 incident and two others this past January: placing a sticker on the back of a traffic sign, and placing a poster on a private condominium building.

He faces no further vandalism charges in Suffolk County. Boston prosecutors had already dropped 14 charges claiming he placed stickers on public property.

Assistant District Attorney Josh Wall said prosecutors aren't responsible for judging the artistic merits of street artists when they break the law to display their work.

Fairey intends to return to Boston on July 31 to attend a party at the museum for his exhibit, which ends next month.

In a separate case, Fairey and The Associated Press have sued each other over the "Hope" poster, which Fairey's lawyers acknowledge was derived from a photo taken for the AP.

The AP has said his uncredited and uncompensated use of the image violates copyright laws. Fairey says he didn't violate copyright law because he dramatically changed the image.


Paris Hilton insists she plugged sorority movie		'Potter' cast reflects on a childhood at Hogwarts

Article Rating

Before commenting read the News Tribune Forum's policies and procedures.
Thanks.

To add your comments you must be registered and logged in

*Member ID:
*Password:

Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts!

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required!

*Create a Member ID:
*Choose a password:
*Re-enter password:
*E-mail Address:
*Year of Birth:
	(children under 13 cannot register)
*First Name:
*Last Name:
Company:
*Home Phone:
Business Phone:
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Zip Code:

Return to: Entertainment « | Home « | Top of Page ^

Online Poll