Art for a Cause

Last year, my friend Bridgette Auger approached me about creating a logo for her organization A Plate for All. She and her colleagues Amelia Reese and Daniel Masterson saw a gap in the aid being given to Iraqi refugee families. These refugees had been displaced from their homes in Iraq to a drought-stricken region in northeastern Syria. After months of planning, fundraising and logistics, these three young people and their partner organization — Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch (GOPA) — conducted their first community food distribution program and were able to help 350 families with direct humanitarian aid. Amazing!

Bridgette sent these photos yesterday:

(Photos © Bridgette Auger 2009. All rights reserved)

The logo I designed (on the boxes) is meant to celebrate the welcome, respect and decency present in a communal meal — those simple and powerful forces that connect and affirm us all, beyond culture or geopolitics. I decided that the design should celebrate those positives while simultaneously evoking the Islamic ceramic traditions of majolica that originated in Mesopotamia over a thousand years ago.

Here's the logo up close:

(logos are © A Plate for All. All rights reserved)

It's both humbling and moving to see the culmination of these efforts — people in need getting relief. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute a very small part in making this happen.

I'm so inspired by the courage, commitment and selflessness of Bridgette and her colleagues and look forward to hearing more about their efforts to reduce the daily suffering of refugees through their caring humanitarian actions. If you'd like to learn more about A Plate for All, please click the link under "Making A Difference".

Texture

My husband Pete and I love to explore. It seems that wherever we go, I find myself drawn into the ridges, bumps and shining surfaces of the unique natural forms we encounter. I'm usually the one kneeling on the ground with my camera lens inches from something, holding steady and waiting for the clouds to give way to sun. Zooming in on the details helps me see better, become better at drawing and keeps me amazed at the infinite interaction of light, shadow, color, shape and space. You don't have to travel far when you're looking at details. In fact, the center picture of that hosta leaf was taken outside our front door!