Hey, I’ll get to the point first, the shameless ask… If you can, donate to a great free music and arts festival happening in the Caucasus region, the country of Georgia to be exact. gofundme.com/onecaucasus is where I’m collecting money to help them raise money.

Next week this reporter will be traveling for about thirty hours each way to help with the One Caucasus Festival in the mountains of the country (not the peanut place…) of Georgia. Years ago when I was doing consulting at a screenprinting place in Poland I met a fellow Amnesty International volunteer there named Witek Hebanowski.  He started the Write for Rights! which is an international effort generating literally millions of letters helping to free prisoners of conscience. He now runs The Other Space Foundation in Poland that with numerous partners around the world does all kinds of peace, cultural, and musical events. One such event is this third annual One Caucasus Festival. The great logo was donated by my friends at CCL Branding in Winston-Salem, NC.

One Caucasus brings together volunteers from around the world, including from the countries at war of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is a safe place for art, music and education in a part of the world that really needs a hand. Many people talk about such efforts, Witek and his pals are actually doing it.

Two years ago I went and my wife and I were the only Americans. I did some human rights workshops but wanted to have some fun with screenprinting. I tried to do that this year but ran into logistical challenges I could not overcome, but there is always next year… However, screenprinting does go on there as you can see below. Wood screens, no pallets, and about 47 images burned on to one little screen. That’s about how I began in my basement and I can relate. Anyway, the guy is being paid to print shirts that will be sold to make money to put on this free festival.

Also somebody there has produced some coffee mugs to sell. The promotional products industry even has penetrated the hills above Marneuli in Georgia.

Can’t wait to see some folks sporting some locally printed shirts like the ones I made and brought over a couple years ago.