Keith Haring's Legacy

KEITH HARING’S LEGACY

THE MAN BEHIND THE ART THAT’S EVERYWHERE

BY SOFIA CARLOS

Chances are if you walk into a clothing store right now, you’ll probably see a T-shirt with Keith Haring’s work printed on it. The barking dog, colorful figures dancing, or maybe the two figures holding up a bright red heart. In addition to Haring’s original work in museums and murals on buildings, his art seems to be everywhere from clothes to shoes to makeup. Haring’s work remains not only popular decades later but also impactful like Haring himself.

Although he was primarily known as an artist, Haring was also an activist who addressed ongoing social issues through his work. Haring’s work was not only distinct in its artistic style but also in the messages it carried. He produced works commenting on the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s, the crack epidemic in New YorkCity, apartheid in South Africa, homosexuality and safe sex. In addition to his activism, Haring’s belief that art should be accessible to everyone influenced how he navigated his career and worked as an artist. Haring strove to make his work accessible and valued public engagement with his art.

At a young age, Haring became interested in drawing and began to learn basic cartooning skills from his father and pop culture. Haring attended the Ivy School of Professional Art but dropped out two semesters later after realizing he was not interested in pursuing a career as a commercial graphic artist. He would go on to attend the School of Visual Arts, moving to New York City in 1978.

It was in New York City that Haring became immersed in the alternative art community. He became involved with having exhibitions and performances at alternative venues, such as subways and clubs, in place of museums. During this time, Haring began to be recognized for his subway drawings. Utilizing the unused advertising panels in the subways, he drew on the matte black paper with white chalk. He created hundreds of subway drawings throughout the ‘80s, even getting arrested sometimes as a result.

In his book “Art in Transit,” Haring said his drawings were universally readable and were meant to make people think and interpret on their own. Haring used his signature figures, icons and symbols like the radiant baby and barking dog in his subway drawings. The drawings were inspired from pop culture, world events, and ideas about technology or people’s changing relationship to God.

Like his subway art, Haring was inspired to produce work in response to the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s. Having produced the “Ignorance = Fear,” poster in 1989. The poster portrays three of Haring’s signature human figures, all yellow and with an “X” in the center of their body. One appears to be covering their eyes, one covering their ears, and another covering their mouth. At the top of the poster is written “Ignorance = Fear” and at the bottom written “Silence = Death,” the motto of political action group ACTUP. At the bottom of the poster adjacent to “Silence = Death” is the pink triangle logo of ACT UP with the words “Fight AIDS ACTUP.” Ignorance = Fear was created to raise awareness about theU.S. government’s specifically, President Ronald Reagan’s lack of adequate response to the AIDS pandemic.AIDS cases were first detected in the U.S. in 1981 and began to predominantly spread among gay men. According to HIV.gov, in 1981 alone 337 cases of AIDS were reported and of those cases 130 individuals died by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Reagan administration and the media largely ignored the ongoing pandemic. It was not until 1983 that the New York Times ran a front-page story on AIDS. The Reagan administration remained silent on AIDS for four years after it was first detected. In 1985 Reagan called it “a top priority” but also defended his administration’s response to the crisis amongst criticism that the funding for AIDS research was inadequate. It was not until 1987 that Reagan made his first public speech about AIDS and signed an executive order creating the Presidential Commission on AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by then there were 49,743 cases and 27,909 deaths from AIDS in the U.S.,56% of people who contracted the disease had died.

“Ignorance = Fear” along with other works of Haring’s, such as Silence =Death and Fight Against AIDS, brought awareness to the disease when it was being ignored and stigmatized due to widespread homophobia. In 1988, Haring was diagnosed with AIDS. He talked about his diagnosis and AIDS awareness in a 1989 interview with David Sheff featured in Rolling Stone.

“That’s why it’s important for people to know what AIDS is and what it isn't,” said Haring. “Because there is a potential for far, far worse things to happen, the possibility of more hysteria or more fascist reaction.”Haring would further his role in AIDS awareness by creating the KeithHaring Foundation in 1989. The foundation gives grants to non-profit organizations involved with the education, prevention and care-related AIDS and HIV infection. The foundation also provides grants to organizations that assist underprivileged children. In addition to his philanthropic efforts through his foundation, Haring sought to create and expand access to his art. Throughout his career, Haring created a multitude of public murals around the world. He created murals for schools, hospitals, community centers and even the White House. When creating murals Haring would sometimes collaborate with the community and organizations like CityKids, where the youth of communities would work with Haring to complete the murals. He believed that anyone could enjoy art if given the chance to. This led Haring to open his New York City retail store the Pop Shop in 1986. This sparked criticism from the art world, which Haring addressed in a 1989 interview featured in Rolling Stone.

“I was scared. I knew I would be attacked,” said Haring. “The art world thrives in its little elitist world. The rest of the world can get access if the art dribbles down…” Due to Haring’s rising popularity, the prices of his work increased greatly. Haring said that the Pop Shop made his work accessible through the sale of products like T-shirts, toys, posters, buttons and magnets at a low cost. This was the audience that Haringwanted to see his art, real people.

The Pop Shop and public murals were part of a short-lived yet impactful career that cemented Haring as an artist for the people. At 31, Haringdied on February 16, 1990 due to AIDS-related complications. Since his passing Haring has received numerous honors and tributes. In 2019, he was one of the first fifty American pioneers, trailblazers and heroes to be inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor in the Stonewall NationalMonument. Haring’s legacy as an activist and artist has continued to live on through his foundation as well as collaborations with companies like Tommy Hilfiger, Reebok and MAC Cosmetics. Whether Haring’s art is discovered through a T-shirt or at a museum exhibition, his work continues to find its way into new generations.