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Hipster Mayor Teams Up With Shepard Fairey To Unveil New Library Card
Our favorite hipster mayor has partnered with street artist Shepard Fairey to unveil L.A.'s trendiest new accessory: an artist-designed library card. Like all cool things, the card in question will of course be limited-edition.The card, which was designed by Shepard Fairey and Cleon Peterson, will be available at all 73 Los Angeles Public Library locations. The card's design is based on an illustration originally created to promote the Library Foundation of Los Angeles's Young Literati Annual Toast fundraiser. It was unveiled Tuesday morning during a ceremony at Central Library. Mayor Eric Garcetti opened the ceremony by welcoming everyone to his "favorite place in Los Angeles: the library."
Here it is! #BestCardInLA @OBEYGIANT @LAPublicLibrary @MayorOfLA @Culture_LA @BiblioSzabo pic.twitter.com/QeePtN0OI0
— Library Foundation of Los Angeles (@LibraryFoundLA) April 19, 2016
"When I was younger, I did most of my research for art and design at the library," Fairey said in a press release.
He and his wife Amanda are longtime supporters of the library: she is a member of the foundation board and a Young Literati chair, and he has participated as a celebrity reader and deejayed at Young Literati events. Fairey is best known for his iconic "HOPE" portrait of Barack Obama and the OBEY GIANT art campaign, in case any of our readers live under a rock.
"We want a library card in the purse, wallet and backpack of every Angeleno," City Librarian John Szabo said at the ceremony. An LAPL card also made a cameo last night on the TV show "New Girl," which is set in L.A.
A New Girl staffer told LAist that the appearance was completely coincidental, and that the New Girl team had no knowledge of the new library card before the episode aired.
How's that for synchronicity?
Sponsored message
Don't have your own library card or want to track down one of the new limited edition version, find out how to get one here.
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