On Nov. 26, 2011, Harper’s magazine Contributing Editor and National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey joined Shepard Fairey, the prolific street artist known to most people for his iconic Obama HOPE campaign image, and installed a stunning 20×80-foot mural THE BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE. It’s at the intersection of Ogden and the highly trafficked Melrose Avenue in West Los Angeles near Fairfax.
The result is a beautiful, intriguing “billboard” that we hope will spur those who walk and drive by to educate themselves about what it means. The composition brings visibility to a group that is otherwise pretty much hidden from the rest of the nation, the Lakota people of South Dakota.
Background here:
The Black Hills Are Not for Sale: The Mural Is Up in Los Angeles. Here’s How It Got There
The Black Hills Are Not For Sale from sinuhe xavier on Vimeo.
From Sinuhe:
I met Aaron Huey at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival during May of 2011 and was instantly captivated with his work on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and his project, Honor The Treaties. We worked together with Shepard Fairey over the next several months to collaborate and bring something to the streets of Los Angeles. With help from Miguel of La Barracuda this 20×60 wall on Melrose Ave at Fairfax was secured. What you see here is the culmination of the tireless efforts of Aaron Huey and Shepard Fairey that took place November 26, 2011.
The V.O. is from this ted.com/talks/aaron_huey.html Ted Talk.
Please go to honorthetreaties.org to learn more.
More credits below:
Wheat Paster: Nicholas Bowers
Wheat Paster: Shepard Fairey
Scissors: Daryl Hannah
Wheat Paster: Chet Hay
Wheat Paster: Aaron Huey
Wheat Paster: Daniel Salin
Wheat Paster: Sinuhe Xavier
Crowd Control: Miguel
Production: The Department of Scenarios
Camera: Taylor Kent
Editor: Carol Martori
Links:
of the Shepard Fairey/Aaron Huey collaboration “The Black Hills Are Not For Sale.”