Ratu's Baby Shower: Art for Sumatran Rhino Conservation
Along with art, wildlife conservation is my passion. Last year, it broke my heart to hear that the Sumatran Rhinoceros was declared extinct in Malaysia. My family has lived there for many generations, and the Sumatran Rhino is unique as the closest living relative of the extinct Woolly Rhinoceros, with shaggy fur on its ears and body. Last year I traveled to the Cincinnati Zoo year to bid farewell to the last Sumatran Rhino in the Western Hemisphere before he returned to Indonesia to hopefully breed, and took this picture of Harapan. You can see how unique and special this rare species.
Painting rhinos gives me an opportunity to engage my audience in a conversation about what is happening to endangered animals around the world. I paint my animals with anthropomorphic expressions that hopefully lets the viewer feel connected to the animal. My hope is that if a child receives a painting of an endangered animal and grows up with its presence in their nursery or bedroom, s/he will feel a bond with the species and care about its future.
As an Artist Partner of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) launched its Artist Partner program I am able to use my artwork as a vehicle to raise both money and awareness for IRF. Here's a link to their Artist Partner page, which links to my Etsy collection supporting them: http://rhinos.org/partner/artists/.
I'm proud to support the mission of the IRF, so when they announced their latest fundraiser in support of Sumatran Rhinos I wanted to help. Last year, it was announced that Ratu (who may be the only captive female left and is one of less than 100 Sumatran Rhinos remaining in the world), is expecting this May. The IRF is hosting a "baby shower" for Ratu to help pay for expenses related to the birth of this precious baby, which you can learn about at http://rhinos.org/fundraise/. It's already my policy to donate 50% of the purchase price from my rhino art to IRF, but for this special fundraiser, I created a special animal collection appropriate for a nursery and I'm giving 100% of proceeds from those items to IRF through May 5. I'm hoping to raise at least $500, and if I can sell the entire series I'll be able to raise over $1500, which will go a long way to the IRF's total needed of $20,000. I'm delighted to report that thanks to the generosity of Jackie, a fellow artist who purchased two paintings (one from my regular collection and one from my nursery series) I'm starting this fundraiser with a great start!
A lot is at stake and I hope these rhinos don't disappear forever. If you or anyone you know also loves rhinos I'd love to get in touch and encourage you to join me.
Cheers,
Becky
