I recently participated in a group project to honor soldiers from Georgia who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and would like to let this forum know about it.
54 portraits were shown. Yesterday was the day set aside to show the portraits and honor their families. It was held in Atlanta, in the Museum of Patriotism.
I knew it was going to be a special day, but had no idea now special. As I approached the museum, traffic had to be directed by a policeman. Many military or former military were there, holding flags, helping direct cars to the parking area, serving refreshments, giving out name tags. A very moving sight, to see all the volunteers who came. The hall was large, but not large enough to seat all the artists and family members who came. Many businesses helped support this event as well, and sent representatives. We had speeches by the director of the museum, one of the artists who helped found the project, and a few politicians, as well as congratulations sent by the governor. A color guard started the ceremonies. There was music, there were tears.
The gallery itself was set off to one side. Families took pictures of themselves with their loved one, and I saw more than one person breaking down and crying. Some families had only seen their portrait in photos until yesterday.
My soldier was Marion Flint Jr. and he was only 30 when he died, leaving behind a wife and children. The portrait was painted for his mother.
Kudos to the organizers of this project: Lisa Gleim-Jonas, Pat Aube Gray, Larry Hall, Leah Hopkins-Henry, Fran Milner, Sherry Needle and Geri Zaki, founders of the Atlanta Fine Arts League, for the opportunity to participate in this project and for the excellent job they did in organizing it.
Links:
http://atlantafineartsleague.org/NEWS.HTML
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