Photographers Donate Work to Freedom Museum

    MANASSAS, VA, March 01, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Two photographers have been selected to showcase their photography for a permanent exhibit at the Freedom Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate museum, right here in Manassas, Va.

On Saturday, March 9, 2013, Cheryl D. Dobbins and Eric Hege, both from North Carolina, presented a total of six works of art to the Freedom Museum including images of two World War II Prisoners of War, Emanuele "Manny" Fontana and Merle Hancock; as well as images of military aircraft and military equipment. The photography honors the Americans who have made the supreme sacrifice in defense of our country's freedom. The exhibit also pays tribute to those who served our country with honor and distinction and it provides the public with the opportunity to appreciate the history and heritage of the United States military.

"We are excited to feature this memorable photography showcasing two distinguished World War II Prisoners of War, Emanuele "Manny" Fontana who was a cherished volunteer here at the museum before his recent passing, and Merle Hancock, another respected veteran and museum volunteer," said Bob Finch, member of the Freedom Museum's Board of Directors.

In November 2012, Dobbins shared that she had the distinct honor of meeting both Fontana and Hancock at the Manassas Veterans Day Parade in historic downtown Manassas, Va. The two men were representing the Freedom Museum and escorting a cockpit section of a B-25J Mitchell bomber aircraft that was on exhibit at the Freedom Museum.

"To capture the soul and history of these two veterans through intimate portraits was a true privilege," says Dobbins. "Donating their portraits to the museum is my way of paying homage to those two men and all our veterans."

Hege's admiration for military personnel and aircraft led him to donate three works from his own private collection.

"Donating these three works is a tribute to all military personnel - past, present and future," says Hege. "I am thrilled to share my work with the Freedom Museum."

With 23 years of experience, Cheryl D. Dobbins specializes in creative and artistic photography in natural light. Her passion and philosophy is capturing a moment in time, an emotion, an expression; not just taking a picture. Dobbins is a member of Professional Photographers of America and Carolina's Nature Photographers Association, and has been featured in several local and national publications. She is a native of Thomasville, N.C. She graduated from East Davidson High School in Thomasville and received a degree from Strayer University in Washington, D.C. For more information about Cheryl D. Dobbins, visit http://www.CherylDDobbinsPhotography.com.

Eric Hege has also been a photographer for 23 years. He concentrates on aviation, automotive and landscape photography. Since childhood, Hege has been fascinated with aircraft and automobiles. This led him to pursue the challenge of photographing aviation in motion and depicting automotive elements through his work. Hege's love of camping and the outdoors fueled his interest in photographing vibrant landscapes throughout the U.S. Hege is a native of Thomasville, N.C. He also graduated from East Davidson High School in Thomasville, and attended High Point University in High Point, N.C.

The Freedom Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate museum, honors Americans who made the supreme sacrifice in defense of freedom. It also pays tribute to those who served our country with honor and distinction and provides a place for young citizens to learn their history and heritage. The Freedom Museum features 20th Century exhibits including static displays and commemorations of the National Guard 29th Division on D-Day, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Semper Fi month. The museum is proud to display visiting vintage aircraft and vehicles, while also offering guest speakers and unique demonstrations. The Freedom Museum is located in the terminal building at the Manassas Regional Airport, 10400 Terminal Road, Manassas, Va. For more information about the Freedom Museum, visit http://www.freedommuseum.org.

With 23 years of experience, Cheryl D. Dobbins specializes in creative and artistic photography in natural light. Her passion and philosophy is capturing a moment in time, an emotion, an expression; not just taking a picture. Dobbins is a member of Professional Photographers of America and Carolina's Nature Photographers Association, and has been featured in several local and national publications. She is a native of Thomasville, N.C. She graduated from East Davidson High School in Thomasville and received a degree from Strayer University in Washington, D.C. For more information about Cheryl D. Dobbins, visit http://www.CherylDDobbinsPhotography.com or contact us at (336) 414-5241.

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Well Known Artist Pledges to Donate 9/11 Twin Towers And Help Raise Over $400 Million for Charity

    NEW YORK, NY, February 09, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Richard Sean Manning is a prolific artist, with substantial studios is Lockport, New York and St Petersburg, Florida.

He works in a number of mediums, including paint, wood, metal, glass and clay, creating art to benefit others. He uses upwards of 5 tons of clay each year, and his ceramic art is sought after by private collectors and museums.

Inspired to commemorate all those who lost their lives on that date now woven into American history, he has committed to create a series of ceramic '9/11 Twin Towers' to donate to museums across the country to mark each anniversary.

The first permanent exhibit valued at $65K, was installed at the Great Explorations Children's Museum which is located in St Petersburg, Florida.

"My aim is to help open a dialogue about unity through art, between educators and students who were not even born on 9/11/01, and to give pause for a moment of silence for all of us to never forget what happened on that fateful day." says Richard Sean Manning.

Cognizant of the need to raise funds to add a 9/11 curriculum to programming at museums prompted the artist to paint a series of Unity Art.

Together with his business partner, Laura Manning, they co-founded The Manning Arts as a platform to help 501c3 organizations raise money for worthy causes through an online gallery of original art.

Mr Manning has pledged to paint 3000 original works of art as a memorial to all those who perished in the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Even though his paintings are inspired by this tragic event, they are diverse in color and content and raise social awareness.

Laura Manning manages the back end of the business, photographing and documenting each work of art and maintaining the online art gallery.

She works with 501c3 organizations who register online to participate in The Manning Arts innovative fundraising initiative that has the potential of raising over $400 million for worthy causes.

'It sounds like a lot of money, but when you do the math, and figure that each original is available in a numbered series of 550 fine quality giclee prints, in 3 sizes, representing 1650 options per original, it's almost 5 million works of art." states Laura Manning.

Participating charities are assigned a unique URL that links them to The Manning Arts online art gallery, which they can upload to their website and share with their supporters.

The success of this fundraiser is based on getting the word out to loyal supporters to click on the link and purchase a work of art for their home, office or as a gift.

Included in every purchase is a 66% tax deductible, charitable contribution from the supporter to the charity that originates the order through their unique link.

At point of sale, funds are split by PayPal using an adapted payment integration that instantly deposits 66% of the proceeds of the order into the charity PayPal account.

The remaining 34% is deposited to The Manning Arts PayPal account and covers the cost of fulfilling the order, including handling and shipping directly to the supporter. It's as simple as that!

To see how it works, visit http://www.TheManningArts.org/GreatEx and purchase a work of art to benefit the Great Explorations Children's Museum.

To inquire about your museum receiving a donation of a one of a kind pair of '9/11 Twin Towers' as a permanent exhibit, or to register your 501c3 organization to participate in this unique fundraiser, please visit http://www.TheManningArts.org.

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