How a New Yorker became the official artist for Atlanta's MLB All-Star Game

DeAsia Paige, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jul 12, 2025

Published in Baseball

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ATLANTA — Charles Fazzino (known as the master of 3D pop art) roams around his MLB exhibit with ease, becoming fascinated with each detail as if he’s not the artist behind them.

There are hand-painted baseballs, edgy baseball bats and posters, among other collectibles at the Cobb Galleria exhibit. It’s the type of art that requires in-person interaction. Online renderings do a disservice to the bright colors and multidimensional style.

“They’re kind of like pop-up books,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Fazzino is the official artist for the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta — a role he’s had for two decades. He designed this year’s premier 3D commemorative artwork, along with the hand-painted home plate, that will be featured on the field during the ceremonial pitch for Tuesday’s midsummer classic.

The main artwork features handcrafted cutouts and pieces of Truist Park, the home of this year’s game. There are emblems of the city’s culture, like peaches and the “Hotlanta” moniker.

Every detail was designed at his New York studio, constructed and embellished with glitter and Swarovski crystals. The piece required a week of cutting, gluing and pasting after receiving MLB approval.

“It has to be authentic, and it has to be geographically correct in a way, although it’s in my fun, happy, whimsical style,” the native New Yorker said about the design.

Born in the Bronx, Fazzino, who resides in New Rochelle, grew up with art. His mom was a sculptor and his dad was a shoe designer.

“They were always drawing in the house, and they collected pop-up books, so I wanted to become an artist because they were successful artists.”

Fazzino attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. He adopted the 3D art style in the late 1980s, at the onset of his career. He recalls making an unpublished pop-up book about a cat and started sharing it at local art shows: “people loved it,” he shared.

Now, Fazzino’s art can be found all over the world. Throughout a career that spans four decades, Fazzino has worked with the Olympics, the NFL Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards — to name a few. His work is in the private collections of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, along with a host of other notables like Paul McCartney and Michael Jordan.

But Fazzino doesn’t rest on his laurels.

“It’s been sort of this building of little things through the years,” he said when asked about the accolades.

Since 2003, Fazzino has been selected by the MLB to commemorate the All-Star Game (except in 2006, when the MLB chose another artist). His partnership with the league formed in the ’90s, when he asked for licensing of Yankees and Mets artwork.

Tuesday’s All-Star Game marks the first time Atlanta has hosted the event since 2000. Fazzino was excited when he heard Atlanta would be the 2025 host city.

In 2018, a year after The Battery officially opened, Fazzino worked with the Atlanta Braves to create artwork commemorating the special moment.

“I’ve been coming here since the (1996) Olympics,” he said. “I’ve had shows at Perimeter Mall and Phipps Plaza. So every time I come to Atlanta, I’m taking pictures and so forth, so when they decided (the All-Star Game) would be in Atlanta, I said I can draw Atlanta with my eyes closed.”

He also noted that Atlanta has “a lot to draw,” which helped form his creative vision for this year’s artwork.

“Truist Park has a very unique area that many ballparks don’t have. Atlanta also has a beautiful skyline with different architecture that’s unique, more than a city like Seattle or Denver, so there are fun things to draw here.”

Fazzino said one of his challenges when creating the MLB art each year is having the double task of creating an exhibit in a different city and also designing the art that’s unique to that city. But he admits he’s learning to have patience for both processes.

What keeps Fazzino as the official MLB All-Star Game artist is building fans in cities that might not be familiar with his work: “When people see it, it’s uniquely me.”

But, more importantly, he wants to honor the supporters who’ve continued to uplift his work.

“I’m also trying to create artwork for my fans — people who love my artwork and want to see a certain sport that they’re fond of. I want to bring that to them and bring it to them in a way that they’re going to enjoy.”

Fazzino’s work will be on display at the Capitol One All-Star Village at Cobb Galleria until Tuesday. His exhibit is in the downstairs section of the village, next to the MLB Store. Tickets can be purchased here.

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