DYKWTCA (Do You Know Where The Children Are) is a call to action and exhibition of 100+ unique works of art by 100+ leading visual artists that is organized by the artists and activists Mary Ellen Carroll and Lucas Michael. Each work incorporates, or represents an actual account (in whole or in part) from a child who was separated from their family and detained by the US government. Open on Saturday, January 25, 2020 and running until Saturday, March 28, 2020. The works of art will benefit a blind charitable pledge drive that will be announced shortly through DYKWTCA.com.
The text in my painting is from a 15 year old girl:
I arrived in the United States nine days ago. I have been at the Clint Border Patrol Facility for nine days. There are many children here. I have been staying in a room with 25 children. There were no beds, only four mats. We would put two mats together and sleep six children on them. The rest of the children slept right on the ground, including little children. It is concrete. There are babies, as well as older children. They give us two blankets. One to put on the concrete and the other to put over us. There was a two-year-old boy who had been in quarantine because he was sick. There was another girl taking care of him, but she also got sick so when he was released from quarantine, I started to take care of him. I am the third teenage girl who have tried to take care of this little two-year-old boy.
This exhibition and call to action is expected to travel. For more info go to DYKWTCA.com
There are Many Children Here, watercolor, sumi ink and burnished text on paper, 14” x 11”, 2019.