Congratulations to artist and For Freedoms co-founder hankwillisthomas, who was awarded the 2023 U.S. statedept Medal of Arts by First Lady Jill Biden (flotus) at the whitehouse, among four other incredible artists: Tony Abeyta (alpha_beta_tone), Sheila Hicks (ateliersheilahicks), Robert Pruitt (RobertPruitt), Suling Wang (suling_wang_studio), in acknowledgment of their impact on cultural diplomacy for the U.S. abroad. As part of Dr. Biden's introduction, she spoke to Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings and how he captured how he saw his time. Each presenting a moment, a snapshot of American life made possible by our nation’s fundamental values—the four freedoms President Roosevelt laid out in his 1941 State of the Union address: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. She recognized the recreated new Four Freedoms by For Freedoms that were made over 70 years later to represent current times and how these threads of history weave us toget...