Unique Fair is a Fine Artist from Rochester, NY who seeks to use his skill set as an artist and activist to empower people to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Growing up, he developed a passion for community organizing, and after high school, Unique attended the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and received a BFA in Illustration, and is a recent graduate of the Studio Arts MFA program at RIT. Unique has been instructing undergraduate painting, drawing and printmaking classes at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Non-Toxic Oil Painting practices at the Flower City Arts Center.
Over the course of his education and career, his interest in politics, community organizing, and art combined into an interest in the provocative power of painting as a means of activism. This vision has led Unique to craft artwork that focuses on the themes of oppression, liberation, and the friction between.
Unique has been commissioned by the RIT Archive department to illustrate commemorative maps and postcards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of RIT’s Henrietta Campus. He has 5 years of experience developing cover art, advertisements, and editorial illustrations at Reporter Magazine in Rochester NY. Since 2011, Unique has been the lead assistant at Blue Toucan Studios, where he assists in the resin and laser-printing based crafting of Fairy Doors.
Recently, his achievements have included his work being collected by the Memorial Art Gallery, and winning the Print Club of Rochester’s BIPOC residency. Additionally, Fair’s artwork has been accepted into a number of exhibitions. This includes the 67th Finger Lakes Exhibition at the Memorial Art Gallery, the Turn Left Here Exhibition at the UUU Gallery, the Wall to Wall Exhibition at the Flower City Arts Center, and his Thesis Exhibition at City Arts Space. Unique’s artwork has also been collected by the RIT Library Archives, and he currently has his work displayed at the Central Library of Rochester.
As with any structure, he believes the path to quality is dependent upon a strong
foundation. It is from this philosophy that Unique knows artists can begin to construct their artwork with their particular and nuanced vision. This perspective will reflect onto our class structure, as he will start the course with fundamental skills, and transition to more complex projects that will encourage you to filter those new or refined skills through your personal interest and passions.