Posted on April 2, 2017
Each year, ADAO dedicates April 1-7 to increasing awareness of asbestos and preventing exposure by bringing together experts and victims from around the world to share, learn, and take action. To view all 7 days of Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) contributors and content on our landing page, please click here.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure. Since the 19th century, asbestos was widely used in construction, shipbuilding, and the automotive industry. Without a ban, asbestos remains legal and lethal in the USA and nearly 70% of countries around the world today.
Today we’re featuring several artists who are using their talents to raise asbestos awareness and to bring new audiences into the asbestos conversation. We’re also featuring the story of Day Two Ambassador Mavis Nye from the UK: “I fight on for all our Meso Warriors past, present and future.”
ADAO has been using art to drive our advocacy since our founding in 2004. Storytelling is at the heart of the work ADAO does, and various art forms help us to translate these stories into different forms that help them be seen, felt, heard and remembered.We’ve experimented with myriad forms of art to deliver our message, from film to music and everything in between. In the digital revolution era, graphic designs and memes have become invaluable to making our messages accessible and spreadable.
Over the years, we’ve been able to do so much with art-based advocacy. We’ve hosted fundraisers and community events centered around art, including a Warren Zevon tribute concert and photo exhibition, which even landed our story in major media outlets.
We’ve been fortunate to partner with some phenomenal artists who have been using their talents to address asbestos issues:
Earl Dotter has created an ever-evolving photo exhibit memorializing the asbestos workers of the 20th century and honoring the legacy of famed asbestos treatment pioneer Dr. Irving J. Selikoff. Earl’s traveling exhibit introduces art lovers around the country to Dr. Selikoff and the tragic history of asbestos in America.
Quincy Jones is spreading asbestos awareness through his hysterical stand-up comedy special “Burning the Light.” His Kickstarter campaign to fund this special led to an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres show, which ultimately landed him on HBO. Quincy is being honored with the Warren Zevon “Keep Me In Your Heart” Memorial Tribute for using his gift and his story to shine a spotlight on mesothelioma and asbestos-caused diseases.
Barbara McQueen, writer and photographer, is the widow of American film star Steve McQueen, and is a former model and photographer. She is also the author of Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, which documents the three-and-a-half year relationship between the two and includes candid photographs from 1977 to 1980. McQueen has hosted several art exhibits of her work with shows in London, Tokyo, San Francisco, Nashville, Phoenix and Idaho.
David McCumber is an award-winning investigative journalist who co-authored the books “An Air That Kills” and “An Air That STILL Kills” which detailed the worst asbestos disaster in American history in the small town of Libby, Montana.
Paolo Monico, is an Italian-American filmmaker whose award-winning short film “The Mother” address occupational asbestos exposure and breaks the blue-collar stereotype.
Tony Rich, is a photographic historian who uses his access as an industrial hygienist to capture powerful images of asbestos hazards that illustrate the widespread exposure risk.
Jordan Zevon, is a musician and the son of Grammy-winning singer songwriter Warren Zevon, who opened up about his battle with mesothelioma on his final album, “The Wind,” which Jordan produced. Warren’s song from that album “Keep Me In Your Heart” has become an anthem of sorts of the Mesothelioma Warrior community and continues to bring comfort and understanding to those touched by asbestos diseases.
ADAO is thrilled to be featuring these phenomenal artists at the 13th Annual Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference. The conference weekend will feature various performances, speeches from the artists, and our “Meet the Artists” Signature Cocktail Reception and Awards Dinner. Read more about these artists in our “Meet the Artists” blog.
When we partner for prevention and get creative, we make change happen!
Linda