ARTIST CRISTY THOM WEARS HER HEART ON HER SLEEVE
NEW ‘BROKEN’ TEE-SHIRT LINE, FEATURING THOMS ORIGINAL ART, WILL BENEFIT RACHEL WARD FOUNDATION FOR SEXUAL ABUSE VISTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES
(PRWEB) November 19, 2003
Los Angeles, November 14, 2003: Artist Cristy Thom today launched the Broken tee-shirt line to benefit the Rachel Ward Foundation, which provides support for sexually abused children and their families. The organization is named for ThomÂ’s childhood best friend, who committed suicide at the age of 23. Both women were victims of childhood sexual abuse, and WardÂ’s tragic death was the catalyst for Thom to establish an organization to aid other victims and their families in the process of their psychological recovery.
Thom channeled her own inner struggle with the lingering demons of pre-adolescent sexual abuse onto canvas, and turned it into retro hip imagery which now adorns the Broken range of stylishly form - fitting tee-shirts.
Although it is difficult to reconcile ThomÂ’s quirky images of innocuous Gen X childhood memorabilia - from cherubic dolls to delightful Hawaiian souvenirs - with their creative inspiration, the appeal is nonetheless undeniable.
The initial Broken range offers a choice from Thom’s signature “Broken Baby” image, the hula doll series or logo text print on a variety of men’s and women’s shirt and long sleeve tees, tanks and shorts. The company will supplement its core product line with the release of new, limited edition tee-shirt artwork each season.
A portion of all of BrokenÂ’s sales go directly to the Rachel Ward Foundation, which Thom founded this year with the ultimate goal of building support centers for victims of childhood sexual abuse all over the US. In 2000, the US Department of Health and Human Services recorded nearly 90,000 cases of sexual abuse, a figure thought to be a fraction of the actual unreported cases.
“I know that there are tons of girls who are going through the same thing that Rachel and I experienced, and Rachel’s death made it impossible for me to ignore the problem,” sad Thom. The 32 year old Los Angeles native, who was sexually abused by a family friend from age 11, hopes Broken will help fund her dream. “It breaks my heart to imagine any child going through what we went through. I want them to have a safe place to go where they can begin to rebuild their lives and put their families back together.”
ThomÂ’s artwork is currently on show in galleries across the US, including Gallery Horizon in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Spiller Vicenty Gallery (upcoming January show) in Florida and the Museum of Art and History in Alaska. She also has an upcoming exhibit at the Riva Gallery in New York. A portion of the proceeds form the sale of ThomÂ’s artwork also benefits the Rachel Ward Foundation.
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For more information:
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Jody Green Karen Gold
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