We were delighted to have a chance to appear with Steve Potter on his City Corner program on KDNL this week. It really gave me a chance to talk more about the stories behind some of the images that appear in "Painting for Peace in Ferguson." I was also grateful for the chance to talk more about the news of the book, which we've covered in some other blog posts here -- the second edition on Aug. 1; the IPPY award; and our looming trip to Washington, D.C., representing Missouri at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival.
We have the entire video embedded above if you'd like to watch it. Steve was very interested in hearing some of the details behind some of the images the book. Here are a few of those images, along with a few of my comments from the video.
"I thought it was a great way to introduce the book. What’s interesting about the artwork is that it ranges from simple, childlike drawing to really some sophisticated works of art. This artist, obviously, that was their wish. And so they were like public wishes that people had for their community."
"It was kids, it was senior citizens, it was black, it was white."
“What I say when I go into schools, I say, 'Have you ever made a card for someone? How does it make them feel?' They all say it's makes them feel good, because it's about love."
The image in the middle includes a dog and a cat in a boat, and it was produced by a separate artist from the one who started the picture. “I think the message here is that we’re all in the same boat together. This was collaborative. People who didn’t know each other made each other’s art better."
“I wanted these images of the buildings to show how these pieces looked on the buildings."