Daniel Brevick, Hope

HOPE
Hope is a wonderful, confusing mystery. It sustains life for those living in extreme poverty. It’s married with religion, witchcraft, superstition, and a blindness to reality that rivals that of love. Whether it’s faith in God, the Illuminati, education, or self-determination, hope is alive and well, even though often misplaced.

When I first visited Kenya seeing the poverty and hunger, children with rags for clothes, no shoes, and shanties for living spaces, it was difficult. But these can be addressed. I can do something about it. The hardest thing to see is hope because you can’t dash it. No matter how absurd. It’s often all they have.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
I’m an artist, photographer, peacemaker. I apply the arts to affect positive change in myself and hope to motivate others. Art can tell stories, and a well-told story brings awareness. Sometimes change.

Every year I spend several weeks in the slums of Kenya. I’ve been active since 2009. Everyone should know why they do what they do. For me, it’s because life is short, messy, and unique. I want to spend my life embracing the “mess,” giving my time, talent, and treasure to address inequities and create new opportunities.

I am both a commercial and fine artist. Commercial art brings exposure to technologies, software, and creative trends. Commercial art has fully enabled my fine art, making it free from practical considerations. My fine art isn’t driven by “what sells” instead by a passion for helping those in need.

BIO:
Daniel Brevick is currently a Senior Creative Director with Mayo Clinic and Cofounder of the Somali Institute for Peace Research, Kibera Pride, and Go Pamoja. He is currently pursuing a Master of Photography degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Risper Anyango,  Full Story https://youtu.be/Z6-46urzJrk

We’re trying to get a better prosthesis for Risper. A resident of Kibera (a slum in Kenya), Risper, lost her leg at the age of 9, after being struck by the train that goes through the slum. Everything is lined up; OSSUR (from Iceland) will donate the new leg, LIMB LAB (Rochester, Minnesota) will provide fitting and physical therapy. PRIMETIME LIVING will provide housing and meals; Daniel Brevick will pay for her travel, VISA, and COVID-related expenses. However, the US Embassy in Kenya has denied her VISA 2x now; we will try again.