Divided We Stand, 2022

Cleon Peterson   Emerging artists New & remarkable Artists

Special Limited Edition print release with artist Shepard Fairey for their project titled 'July 4th American Principles'.

Dimensions: 24 x 18 Inches

Medium: Hand-pulled screen print on 290gsm Arches Rag paper with deckled edges.

Provenance: Hand-signed and hand numbered by artist. Comes with Gallery Certificate of Authenticity.

Edition: Limited Edition of 225 (#155/225)

About the art: "NEW 24-hour timed print release. Cleon Peterson and I are sharing new works TOGETHER which will benefit the ACLU, based on shared principles.

After watching the January 6th hearings, I called Shepard, and we talked about the testimony and how it affected us. I told him I was thinking about releasing some posters on the subject. Shepard and I have been close friends for 25 years. For over a decade, we sat next to each other, working and sharing our ideas about the world. How we see things and what our place is. I mentioned that I'd always felt driven by hatred of what I saw as unjust authority. In my 20s, I felt like a social outsider, cast out and alienated from society. I didn't have the self-knowledge to understand that I'd put myself in that position as much as anyone else. Shepard mentioned how reactionary rebellion has shifted in him too. As I've grown older, I've begun to realize that if I want to be part of the world, I can't assume the spectator's role; I need to have some skin in the game and voice what I see as right and wrong.

Shepard mentioned that he'd been working on some prints related to the subject too. So in the spirit of 2 friends sitting next to each other as we did years ago, we came up with the idea that this would be an excellent opportunity to present our work and thoughts jointly, sharing the dialogue we, as friends and citizens, have practiced for years.

We also hope to inspire other artists to use their voices through their art and other outlets."

– Cleon Peterson