Remember

As I have been struggling to find what I want to do in my life, specifically how to use my talents to glorify God, I come across people who truly inspire me in everything they do. One of those people is Freedom Rodriguez. I’ve met him several times before at a Not For Sale Event and another art show and how he’s using his talents for God absolutely blows me away. Check out his newest project that I wrote about for the Arkansas Traveler…

Artist turns abandoned books into portraits of abandoned children

Art is not only about beauty. To some artists it stands to a higher standard that is meant to move people and service a purpose. A northwest Arkansas man is attempting to do just that with his collection 100 Faces of Uganda.

Artist Freedom Rodriguez has taken discarded children’s books and painted them with the faces of neglected children of Uganda to make a statement art piece and raise awareness.

“These children also feel discarded or abandoned or no longer wanted because for whatever reason they feel damaged or something is wrong in their life,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez noticed the books being given away at his hometown library in Siloam Springs and the contrast he could make with “these children who didn’t have a storybook life.”

“Nevertheless, these children need to feel and know that they have a story still worth reading about,” he said.

Using photographs he had taken of orphans while visiting Uganda, Rodriguez painted 100 book covers to show across the United States, starting his tour in Siloam Springs this weekend.

“I’m raising awareness for these orphans, giving them a voice. They feel like they’re voiceless, that they’re not being heard. Through this artistic expression, through my faith and what I’ve experienced in Africa I’m giving them a voice,” he said.

Finish reading the article here.