Tonya Hu was selected as a Top Ten Winner in our Spring 2015 contest for her art, “I Want Freedom.” Tonya was in 6th grade studying art at Chang Hung Wang Art Studio in Texas at the time of publication. We asked Tonya to share what inspired her art and her goals for the future.
“Every year, over 50 million animals are killed merely for their fur. The pain the animals have to go through is unimaginable, involving and certainly not limited to being skinned alive, having their necks broken, or being set on fire. They are abused or neglected at factory farms, squished into tiny cages, and repeatedly shot. Many ducks are even force fed many times every day for the sake of foie gras, fatty liver, which many people eat, even though it is just the duck liver expanded to ten times its normal size. Even worse, many animals are arranged in arenas and sent to fight to the death or at least until extremely injured. Some of these ‘fun’ events that children are allowed to attend are cockfighting, dog fighting, and hog-dog fighting, just to name a few.
“Horrified and shocked by what I had learned, I was inspired to create an art piece that raised awareness of the sadness and torture animals go through on a daily basis. As a 6th grader at Quail Valley Middle School in Missouri City, Texas, I would like to host fundraising events in support of ending animal abuse and positively affect the world throughout my drawings in the future.”
Tonya is an inspiring young artist and we know she will accomplish great things. Congratulations, Tonya!
Celebrating Art 