Issue: Human Trafficking
Organization: Born To Fly
I definitely have a heart for a great number of social justice causes, but I make no secrets about the fact that my true passion lies in ending human trafficking. In the future, I hope to create blog posts that have more of an article slant, informing you all about the issues behind the artists here, where I’ll be able to talk a bit more about my own thoughts and experiences, how they relate to art, and what you can do (as well as featuring guest writers who will do the same). My guess is that a good deal of that content will focus around human trafficking, because in my own research, and in my time wandering around social media sites, I’ve come across some major players in the battle to end modern-day slavery, and they have a lot to say.
A couple of those players happen to be Diana Scimone and her friend Leah Widemer. Diana passed some information along to me via Twitter (@DianaScimone) a couple weeks ago about a new project she’s working on with Leah, an artist located in Orlando, Florida, who’s helping her illustrate a new children’s book aimed at combating human trafficking. So, when I got in touch with Leah, she relayed this story to me:
“I spent a lot of time praying about how I could make my art work benefit others beyond decorating their home or office. When Diana Scimone first approached me about doing the illustrations for her children’s book series, “The Adventures with Paw Paw,” I felt it was an answer to prayer. I worked in watercolor for the three “Paw Paw” books, making slight adjustments to the feel of each book according to the artistic culture of the country Paw Paw was visiting. Diana’s vision was to use the books to raise money for various children’s charities. Then, with the passing of a few years, Diana’s vision became more specific and she zeroed in on preventing child trafficking. Now I am thrilled to be doing the illustrations for a wordless book which is an allegory about the world of child trafficking that teaches children, parents and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking with the goal of ending it.
“Besides my illustration work, I paint portraits (mostly from old photos) and scenes from our travels throughout Italy. I have committed to donating 10% of all proceeds garnered from my paintings to various charities.”
You can find more of Leah and her work, as well as more about Diana Scimone and her organization, Born to Fly, on these sites:
Leah on Twitter: @RoamingArtist
Diana on Twitter: @DianaScimone
Leah’s Blog
Leah on Cafe Press
Born to Fly
If you’re a Twitter fanatic and have a heart for human trafficking, you also might be particularly interested in checking out this post from Diana, which lists a lot of great Twitter users to follow who are working toward ending slavery.
By: Diana Scimone dianascimone.com
14 May 2009 11:28 am
What a great article about Leah and her work! She’s a gifted illustrator and artist, and we’re so excited that she’s partnering with us on the the Born to Fly Project — and very glad that you’ve featured her!
Diana Scimone
President, Born to Fly International, Inc.
http://www.born2fly.org