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HoboEye Art:
Tanya Nevin, Bozeman, Montana
In the summer of 2006, Tanya Nevin made a life-changing trip to Africa. She traveled with an organization that builds orphanages in Uganda. That country alone has 2 million children orphaned by brutal civil wars and the AIDS epidemic. The orphanages she visited now house hundreds of children who would otherwise be homeless, living on the streets and facing an uncertain future without hope. When Nevin traveled to Uganda, it was to give one-on-one time to the children. Most homes have 50-60 children with only 4-5 caregivers, so the kids get little or no individual attention.
There’s an intense shock at seeing such poverty, and not being able to get away from it, drive to a better neighborhood, or know there’s something good on imminent horizon for these people. At every turn, in every part of Uganda, was poverty. The power is only on for 24 hours at a time, then off again for 24 hours. Road systems are awful, clean water only comes in bottles, food is what you can grow, raise or trade. Street children beg on every corner, amputees from the wars are as common as blondes in California, and teenage mothers nurse babies born of rape or unprotected sex... And yet, there is hope. Hope in the eyes of these orphans. They embody a beauty that is otherworldly and impossible to explain. As they run up to say hello, they kneel before your feet and bow their heads – which is very disarming and humbling. Their manners are impeccable, their English pure with a Swahili accent, and their joy unmistakable. So unlike kids in America… Chatter is about making the world a better place and how much they love God. Smiles never fade even as they wave goodbye.
The experiences in a Third World nation have profoundly and deeply affected Nevin’s perceptions of living in the U.S. The difficulty and confusion has been having access to so much of everything. And the BEST of all of it. Jimmy Choo shoes, Ralph Lauren paint, Lignet Roset chairs, Estee Lauder eyeshadow, BMW SUV’s, and Newman’s Own salad dressing. It is both disgusting and desirable. The yearning for more and better is impossible to get away from. Every billboard, commercial, magazine and television show is but a reminder of what else we should have but don’t. That new Subaru Outback would build an orphanage and feed its children for a full year. Yet this is our life. It is OUR reality. We are blessed and fortunate. There is a balance somewhere – and the children of Africa won’t let Nevin forget. The spirits of Uganda demand a testimony, and haunt her through her paint.
In addition to being an artist, Tanya is also a wife and mother. She and her husband Guy have been married for 14 years. Her children are Zachery, already a budding comic book artist at age 8 and Sophie, age 2.
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