A link to rural Burma

Dr. Maung and Unfolding Flight. (news story)

Every so often I get to participate in an amazing international outreach and make a connection to a far corner of the world.  Last week it happened again!

Earlier this fall we got a call from Freedom to Create, a Singapore NGO which recognizes and supports obscure champions of human development.  They wanted me to create a sculpture for a new award called the Freedom to Create Women's Leadership Award to honor women's leadership.  I was able to sculpt the work, Unfolding Flight, a figure building its own wings, and get it to them in time for the unveiling/presentation in a ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa. The winner is Dr. Cynthia Maung, a humble doc who came to the aid of thousands who are fleeing a brutal military campaign in Burma but cannot escape into Thailand.  There along the border are 58,000 refugees whom she cares for, piled up like tumbleweeds against a wire fence.

And now one of my sculptures lives in the Burmese jungle! From there it is capable of whispering its message of hope to every passerby– whatever their language– from its perch on the dostor's desk. I feel so honored! On this day, World AIDS day, may we not forget those who are pushed aside...