Official Barack Obama's Portrait Unveiled in Washington DC

By Ayoub mzee-Washington DC

Even before he takes office, President-elect Barack Obama's image has become part of the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery.

This morning, members of the the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), the Podesta Group, the Boeing Corporation and friends of the Smithsonian gathered in the National Portrait Gallery's Kogod Courtyard for the unveiling of Shephard Fairey's iconic Obama Hope portrait.

The gallery acquired the iconic red, white and blue collage by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey, depicting Obama with the word "Hope." The image _ later modified with the messages of "Change" and "Vote" for the Obama campaign _ became one of the most memorable images from the 2008 election.

The curators at the Smithsonian Institution museum plan to hang it by Inauguration Day.Fairey's collage appeared on thousands of stickers, posters and T-shirts across the country. Time magazine recently commissioned Fairey to create a similar image of Obama for its Person of the Year cover.

Before the unveiling, a handful of bigwigs spoke not only about the image to be unveiled, but about the Inauguration and what it means for America. Dr. Elsie Scott, President and CEO of the CBCF noted that she was delighted to "kick off inaugural week -- we know it's going to be a wonderful time for Washington."

Admitting an unfamiliarity with Fairey's previous work, she stated, "we didn't know who he was but we knew that portrait captured something. The portrait is about hope which is what Obama is about...bringing us all together across race lines, gender lines, ethnic lines."

Ayoub Mzee and the Obama portrait today
Ayoub Mzee with the Florida US Representative KENDRICK MEEK today in Washington DC