"There is within these peoples' souls a tremendous amount of beauty and [conviction] that they can actually make a difference.." - Tom Block, artist & activistWe're gearing up at GG Central for the big festival in our neighborhood. Here are some Tom Block paintings & they have changed lives. (Not just those who bought the paintings, silly!) Here is a press account of his first meeting with one of his subjects.
We're so proud of Tom, yes. He is the producer of this weekend's Human Rights Art Festival sponsored by Amnesty International & also a local member of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring #297 local AIUSA group. Tom has worked long & hard (with many others, to them next week, you know who you are) to bring this off. Human rights activists are no easier to herd than any other group of people. Do not despair about the dark nature of Tom's work; you'll notice the bright color he uses--this is not incidental.
ciao-peace-meow/GG's editor
[images by Tom Block/all rights reserved/used with permission of artist]