Our Children: Honor With Art, is a project dedicated to the cause of missing and exploited children through works of art. As a member of EBSQ I want to introduce our members and patrons to this exciting project, and perhaps give readers some ideas for taking action in their own ways. Besides generating funds for some of the charitable organizations who advocate for this cause, my goal is to bring awareness and keep it alive through this artistic, creative process. Our current project has become a collaboration of nearly 100 artists globally. Many of them are fellow artists from EBSQ and several of them are well-known for their music, and who create art on the side. Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout are both ex-members of the band Guided By Voices, and Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate are from the legendary New Zealand band Tall Dwarfs. For a full list of participating artists visit the Honor with Art homepage.

Artwork from artists participating in the Honor with Art project

I am creating an "altered book" out of an existing vintage record album. The records have been discarded, leaving the front and back covers and 6 sleeves, which will contain artwork inside and out. Contributing artists are submitting original works of art, poetry, and even music, to be used in this book. A box will be created to protect the book and to hold any work that is bulky, or artwork that is received late. Once the book is finished it will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to various charities that advocate for missing and exploited children. I spoke with Dana Sandberg from Christie’s, and they are offering an auctioneer on a pro bono basis when a venue is secured. Ms. Sandberg suggested winter as a good time to set the auction.

The project was born out of my own near-abduction and a concern for the welfare of my young daughter. When I was twelve I was approached by a man who offered me a ride home from school. When I declined, he opened his passenger door and told me to get into his car, offering me money as an incentive. I was only a few feet away from him but I managed to get away. He chased after me in his car, but ultimately got caught in traffic long enough for me to escape and make it to safety. It was a terrifying experience that I have not forgotten a moment of. In the end, I was given an opportunity to testify against the man in court after he perpetrated against other young girls, but I refused to go to court out of fear that he would find me. I’m not sure what the extent of his crime was, but when I think of my lucky break, it reminds me of how many children don’t get away, and the horrors they have to endure, sometimes to a horrific end. Unfortunately, some of them don’t survive.

Many of us are aware of how many child predators are lurking out there after what we’ve seen in the media, but not every case is publicized. Each year a staggering *58,000 children are abducted by non-family members in the U.S. alone. I believe some of these cases could have been prevented and we do have some control over what happens to our children. It means educating parents, children, and the public, and it also means creating new laws, or changing old laws, so that perpetrators have less opportunity to commit these crimes. Unfortunately, this is not a problem that will ever go away and there will always be victims. We must all do something, however small, to help prevent our children from being hurt. We can all use our individual voices to make one loud and powerful voice if we all work together. We can be the voice for our children.

I wanted to do something different - something that might make people take a good look at this issue through different eyes - through the eyes of artists. My feeling was that if there is a tangible piece of art created by many different artists from all over the world, it would be a constant reminder of just what can be accomplished when people work together. In turn, this may prompt people to take action and make a financial contribution to the cause, write a letter to a legislator, or start a similar project - the "Pay it Forward" philosophy.

Anyone who is interested in participating in this project is welcome. Artists can submit small pieces of art on a flat surface to go into the "altered book" and the tentative deadline is June 1st, but I will accept art beyond that date. Artists who submit work later than deadline should contact me before they send anything through the mail. Nothing will be turned away. Art should be no larger than 10 x 10" and should be sent to:

Shawn Marie Hardy
OUR CHILDREN: Honor with Art
2260 Park Lane #2
Holt, MI 48842 USA

Patrons who wish to help in the form of financial contributions should search Google for reputable charities. The Klaaskids Foundation and The Jessica Marie Lunsford Foundation are good places to donate to and to find further information. Another good idea might be to start a neighborhood watch and get your community involved on a local level. Writing letters to our political leaders also helps, for example, draft a letter and send it to your state’s governor, delegates, state and U.S. senators, congressmen, and state and U.S. representatives. Tell them you want to see changes made and ask what you can do to help. No matter where you live you can locate your political leaders through the Internet.

Most importantly, educate your child and keep it ongoing. I have never sheltered my daughter from what happens in the real world because I don’t want her to be naïve to the truth. I have let her watch the news whenever another child turns up missing. It is a sad reality that children must be aware of as a preventative measure. Children need to know that even though the world is a wonderful place, bad things can happen if they aren’t careful. You have to teach children to be street-smart - to develop and follow their gut instincts. What they are taught and what they know, versus what they are sheltered from, could be the difference between life and death.

Thank you for reading and I hope everyone will consider taking part in some form of community outreach to help keep our children safe and alive. Thanks also to the artists here at EBSQ, and everywhere, for making this project possible.

For complete details on the Honor with Art project, visit the website at www.honorwithart.com. If you are interested in bidding on this artwork, or just staying informed regarding updates on the auction, please send an email with your name, home or business address, and phone number to info@honorwithart.com.

* Information is from Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children, The White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/children/action.html