Artists Band Together bandana
Produced at a time of great historical importance - the COVID-19 global pandemic and contentious presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden - this bandana designed by Shepard Fairey, are both a comment on and reflection of the times during which they were made. This item was created by an artist in conjunction with a political organization, acting as both a fundraiser and means to raise awareness of an issue important to the artist.
A bandana designed by Shepard Fairey features eight-lobed flowers-live motif featuring imagery a book with "history" along the spine and "the future is unknown" on the covers, a ballot box, and an American flag encircled by a chain. It was part of a collection created to benefit Artists Band Together, a "pro-democracy political rebellion in the form of artist-designed bandanas," with proceeds of sales benefitting "nonprofit organizations working year-round in communities to empower voices and get out the vote."
With the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic in the winter of 2020, cloth face covering including masks and bandanas became a standard wardrobe accessory. Facemasks quickly became available in a variety of materials and styles, initially home sewn and then commercially. With the pandemic occurring in an election year, the wearing (or not wearing) of masks became a heated issue in the United States that defined the differences in the approaches of the Democratic and Republican parties approaches to addressing such a significant public health issue. Many artists and activists have chosen to use facemasks and coverings as a vehicle to express their own responses to the political and social climate. TFA has determined that its representation of COVID-19 masks should be narrowly limited to visually engaging examples made or designed by artists for the benefit of a humanitarian or activist cause. This banana is an example of an established artist elevating the format of ubiquitous and utilitarian objects to express important ideas that serve as a reflection of the times in which they were made.
