The Refugee by Anthony Foronda

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Proceeds Support:

Proceeds support the Anti-Defamation League, the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency, fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all. We Were Strangers Too is a collection of designs showing how diverse and universal the refugee experience truly is.

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Design By: Anthony Foronda
Anthony Foronda

Anthony was born in Washington, DC and has been illustrating and designing for more than twenty years. His father worked in the engraving department of the Washington Post, and his mother worked for AT&T. He recalls running through the rows of presses at the Post as a young child, and relishing the comics and illustrations on the pages of the paper. Growing up in a political city, the influence of politics and social justice on his life was unavoidable. As a teenager, he was involved with music and was exposed to the DC hardcore punk scene of the late eighties. This was mixed in with political protests revolving around apartheid and the El Salvadoran Death Squads. Many of the protests revolved around the bands that he followed. In high school, Anthony became involved with Amnesty International and is still a member today. Anthony has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, Red Herring Financial Magazine, St. Petersburg Times, The Miami Herald, National Public Radio, and Government Executive Magazine, NAACP's Opportunities Magazine and was a regular contributor to the Miami Herald Tropic Magazine with a weekly illustration for a column called True Lies. He has been selected in American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Alternative Pick Awards and the Lurzer's Archive's "200 Best Illustrators Worldwide". Before freelancing full-time, Anthony also worked as a creative director focusing on advertising to ethnic markets in the US. Anthony now lives in the rural town of Putnam, CT with his wife Michelle, daughter Beatrice, cat Atticus, and studio mate Sula (his yellow Labrador). In his spare time he studies the Japanese martial art Aikido, practices Zen meditation, is a council member in town organisations, and enjoys traveling abroad. Anthony is a political activist and believes that art has an obligation to inform the community and world about the truth. www.anthonyforonda.com

 

Design By: Anthony Foronda
Anthony Foronda

Anthony was born in Washington, DC and has been illustrating and designing for more than twenty years. His father worked in the engraving department of the Washington Post, and his mother worked for AT&T. He recalls running through the rows of presses at the Post as a young child, and relishing the comics and illustrations on the pages of the paper. Growing up in a political city, the influence of politics and social justice on his life was unavoidable. As a teenager, he was involved with music and was exposed to the DC hardcore punk scene of the late eighties. This was mixed in with political protests revolving around apartheid and the El Salvadoran Death Squads. Many of the protests revolved around the bands that he followed. In high school, Anthony became involved with Amnesty International and is still a member today. Anthony has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, Red Herring Financial Magazine, St. Petersburg Times, The Miami Herald, National Public Radio, and Government Executive Magazine, NAACP's Opportunities Magazine and was a regular contributor to the Miami Herald Tropic Magazine with a weekly illustration for a column called True Lies. He has been selected in American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Alternative Pick Awards and the Lurzer's Archive's "200 Best Illustrators Worldwide". Before freelancing full-time, Anthony also worked as a creative director focusing on advertising to ethnic markets in the US. Anthony now lives in the rural town of Putnam, CT with his wife Michelle, daughter Beatrice, cat Atticus, and studio mate Sula (his yellow Labrador). In his spare time he studies the Japanese martial art Aikido, practices Zen meditation, is a council member in town organisations, and enjoys traveling abroad. Anthony is a political activist and believes that art has an obligation to inform the community and world about the truth. www.anthonyforonda.com

 

Artist Statement

In this graphic titled The Refugee, I wanted to express the sadness I feel for the plight of refugees currently fleeing Syria. The Syrian crisis had been stewing in my head for weeks and the images were upsetting me. I was about to go to sleep one night, but when I closed my eyes this image of a boy and a teddy bear popped into my head. I thought of the child, the refugee child, losing his innocence because of the su ering in Syria. He left his innocence behind with that teddy bear. He will never be the same again. As an artist, I strongly believe in this statement by Matisse– it perfectly summarises the artist’s role. In the last year and a half, I developed a new style called Realismé to address, in a serious way, issues that have a ected me and my core beliefs. I understand the plight of refugees. I know they do not want to ee their homeland and the lives they have built but, because of dire circumstances, they have no other choice – they must risk their lives to survive. They must leave their homes and come to a strange and inhospitable country. If they do not, they will su er and risk death. — Anthony Foronda