KEITH HARING
(May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990)
haring.com
Today would have been Keith Haring’s 67th birthday.
I first became aware of him in 1982, when I was 10 years old, thanks to this interview by Charles Osgood that first appeared on the CBS Evening News.
My family was usually loyal to ABC for all things news, but I remember my dad switching channels just as the segment began. He called my attention to the tv, thinking I might like Haring’s “childlike” drawings.
My dad wasn’t wrong—but neither of us could have guessed just how deeply those squiggly lines and radiant babies would embed themselves in my heart.
That brief television moment opened a door—for me, for my imagination, and eventually for my own creative work. Keith Haring's art wasn’t just playful; it pulsed with energy, hope, and love. He made public art feel personal. He made protest feel joyful. And he made me feel seen, even before I fully understood what that meant.
Since that day, Haring’s work has been a constant companion: in books, on museum walls, and on every kind of merch you can imagine.
His art reminds me to stay bold, kind, and weird. His life reminds me that creativity and compassion are not mutually exclusive—and are both worth fighting for.
Happy birthday, Keith. Thanks for leaving the world more colorful than you found it.
Keep calm and Haring on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Yesterday’s visit to Q Con 2025 was both exhausting and exhilarating. Not only did I get some quality face time with three of my favorite fellow creatives, I met quite a few new-to-me creators. And managed to spend almost every penny I budgeted on new art books, coloring books, comic books, and t-shirts. More than half my haul are gifts for some of my dears, nears, and queers. Love gifting queer art to queer people!
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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Centering Asian Artists in the American Story (National Gallery Of Art)
Google’s Gmail Warning—Upgrade Your Email Account Today (Forbes)
Art Institute Of Chicago President Reportedly Stripped On Plane, Faces Independent Probe (Chicago Tribune)
Democrats Call For Probe Into Trump's Executive Order On Museums (Reuters)
ON THIS DAY = MAY 4
BIRTHDAYS
1907 = Lincoln Kirstein = American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and New York City Ballet co-founder 🌈
1929 = Audrey Hepburn = Belgian-British actor and humanitarian
1930 = Katherine Jackson = American matriarch of the Jackson family
1937 = Dick Dale = American surf-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter
1947 = Richard Jenkins = American actor
1951 = Jackie Jackson = American singer-songwriter and dancer
1953 = Pia Zadora = American actor and singer
1958 = Keith Haring = American artist 🌈
1959 = Randy Travis = American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1970 = Will Arnett = Canadian actor and producer
1979 = Lance Bass = American singer, dancer, and producer 🌈
1981 = Ruth Negga = Ethiopian-Irish actor
EVENTS
1738 = The Imperial Theatrical School, the first ballet school in Russia, is founded.
1904 = Construction begins on the Panama Canal.
1927 = The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
1953 = Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
1959 = The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held.
1961 = The "Freedom Riders" begin a bus trip through the South.
1964 = Another World premieres on NBC.
1973 = The 108-story Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out at 1,451 feet (442 m) as the world's tallest building.
1984 = Sixteen Candles is released in theaters.
1990 = Latvia declares independence from the Soviet Union.
1993 = Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches opens on Broadway.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“I don't think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of manipulating it.”
Keith Haring
“If commercialization is putting my art on a shirt so that a kid who can't afford a $30,000 painting can buy one, then I'm all for it.”
Keith Haring
Clint dear, please add a rainbow icon to Lincoln Kirstein's name. (We'll talk.)
Cheers and hugs,
Fred
Your Newly Installed Official Rainbow Icon Spotter
Just couldn't stop smiling watching the video and reading your piece about Haring. I think that is what in general his work did to people. It also makes me reflect on those I personally knew who died of Aids. Thank for for celebrating Keirt Haring and such good timing on his birthday. :)