WITH THE GOAL OF RAISING MONEY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND JOURNALISTS IN UKRAINE, BILLBOARDS WITH THE WORD "HOPEFUL' LIGHT UP PHILADEPHIA HIGHWAYS

Renowned artist Charlie Hewitt teams up with not-for-profit Freedom House to bring additional attention and support to Ukraine

PHILADELPHIA, April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With Ukraine under siege by Russian forces, artist Charlie Hewitt, along with not-for-profit partner, Freedom House, have installed three billboards with the word Hopeful on busy highways skirting Philadelphia. The signs, in the now-familiar colors of Ukraine – blue and yellow – have been installed with the goal of raising awareness and donations to evacuate human rights activists and journalists out of harm's way, as well as to improve the safety of activists and journalists who have remained Ukraine.  

This is the latest appearance of the Hopeful Project, initially created as public art sculptures to inspire optimism for Americans coping with political polarization and pandemic stress. Original Hopeful sculptures were sited in Hewitt's home state of Maine and has since expanded along the East Coast, including the subway station in Brooklyn, site of the tragic mass shooting earlier this month.

"With horrors magnifying daily in Ukraine, I felt I had to do something," said Hewitt. I started Hopeful as a way to inspire optimism for Americans coping with political polarization and pandemic stress, and Hopeful has given me the opportunity to expand the platform to show support and raise funds for Ukraine. I am honored that Freedom House, a not-for-profit that I am so inspired by, has agreed to join me in the Philadelphia Hopeful project."  

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Freedom House, a not-for-profit working to defend human rights and promote democratic change, with a focus on political rights and civil liberties, shifted its efforts to evacuate human rights activists and journalists in Ukraine out of harm's way and  to improve the safety of activists and journalists who have remained in the country. To donate please click on the following link: https://freedomhouse.org/hopeful or visit the Freedom House website.

Billboards in the Philadelphia area are on the Cottman Avenue/Academy Road exit ramp of I-95, Route 130 near the airport, and on Route 1 heading into Philadelphia from the south.

If you are interested in bringing The Hopeful Project to your community, publicly or privately, please reach out to Charlie Hewitt Studio for more information. Hewitt is represented by Jim Kempner Fine Art in New York City. Instagram: @_hopefulproject.

Charlie Hewitt
Charlie Hewitt, b.1946, is an American painter, printmaker, and public artist. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New York Public Library, and Library of Congress. He has also been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is the only artist to have a permanent public sculpture, "Urban Rattle," on the High Line in New York City.

The Hopeful Project 
Artist Charlie Hewitt began The Hopeful Project, 2019-present, with a single lighted aluminum sculpture commissioned by Speedwell Projects for the roof of their headquarters in Portland, Maine. To date, the Hopeful message has spread with installations across six states at dozens of different sites, both public and private. Follow along on Instagram at @_hopefulproject and with the hashtag #sharehopeful.

Jim Kempner Fine Art
Jim Kempner Fine Art specializes in contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography, and works on paper, with a special emphasis on contemporary master prints and outdoor sculpture. Art inventory appeals to the established as well as beginning collector. The gallery works closely with art advisors, designers, corporations and museums to expand and enrich their varied collections.

Freedom House

Freedom House is a non-profit organization founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.

SOURCE Hopeful

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