It Takes A Village 22×30 Arches 156 lb.

This painting won BEST of SHOW at the Three Rivers Carnegie Center for the Arts REGIONAL Art Show 2020

I took the pictures for this painting two years ago when I made the trip to Chicago to walk with my grandson’s family to school for his first day at the big kid school. Community is very important to them. They know the meaning of “it takes a village,” and although they live in the city in Chicago, they know and spend time with all of their neighbors for several blocks around and often in the summer have back yard movies for the neighborhood families projected onto the back wall of their garage

I met them at the barbers to pick up the kids and as we sat watching the boys get their haircuts, Miriam told me the story of how Ridgley had come to get his hair cut for his first day of school. This man had been their barber from the time they had gotten their first haircuts. When Ridgley got up in his seat his barber asked him how he liked his new school and Ridgley answered. “I LOVE it ! There are GUYS at my new school. At my old school, ALL the teachers are girls.” Miriam explained how important it was to her that her sons have these “village” relationships because this was not something that Ridgley would have talked to Mom about. But, he will get up in his barber’s chair and talk to his barber about it man to man. The nurturing influences and community relationships that he has, whether it’s his barber, teacher, pastor, principal, policeperson, grocer, neighbor, coach or counselor, school and community friends and neighbors, alongside his family, is what will bring him to adulthood and build his character. It truly takes a Village – for the child, and for us as adults who are responsible for their care. We live in community, for better or for worse. May God help us make it better – for the children’s sake.