Cuban Refugee Raft Exhibit Texas
Donation protected
Hi my name is Maureen “Mo” Huddleston and on June 28, 2015 we found an abandoned Cuban refugee raft on a Matagorda County Texas beach. The 20 Ft X 9 Ft raft came ashore three days earlier, just nine days after Tropical Storm Bill made landfall on the same beach and no one knows if anyone was on it.
This raft was obviously built by desperate people wanting a better life and freedom, the same freedom that many in American take for granted. Knowing that they willingly left their family, friends and life in Cuba and risked everything, including their very lives, for a better life here is simply awe inspiring.
I am an artist in Houston Texas, and my mixed media art is almost exclusively items found on beaches. This incredible raft was by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever found on the beach. Some parts of what I salvaged from the raft have been displayed as an exhibit in an art gallery in Houston, at Affaire d’Art Gallery in Galveston TX, and is currently on display at The MarketPlace in the Peanut Butter Warehouse, 102 20th St Galveston TX.
Most visitors say that the raft should be in a Museum; however I have not been able to find a place with enough room for the exhibit. My intention is to find a permanent home in Galveston to display the entire raft, the rest of which is currently in storage. This larger exhibit would require a minimum of 1000 ft.² and commercial space leases for $10-$14 a square foot in Galveston.
The money raised on this crowdfunding website will be used to pay rent for the raft exhibit for ONE Year, Lease hold improvements, Marketing, Media, Signage, Utilities, Maintainence, upgrading the photo story that accompanies the raft and other exhibit expenses, including the 8% fee taken by GoFundMe. This will be an ongoing project and if necessary, we will charge a nominal admission to see the raft, although I would prefer not to do so.
Those of you who have met me understand my passion for this project, and know my willingness to relocate to Galveston so that I can personally tend to the raft exhibit on a daily basis. I want this raft to be used to help educate people as to the plight of the Cuban people and of refugees all over the world and to honor those that built this raft and all the other rafts. To help others understand what it is like living in a Third World or Communist country and to yearn for a better life for yourself and your family. Americans sometimes need reminders to appreciate what we have and the freedom we can take for granted. The brave and desperate individuals who made this raft clearly wanted what we already have.
I am already so grateful for all of the support that has been given to me for the Cuban refugee raft project so far. SO many people have expressed their gratitude to me for what this exhibit showed them and how it affected them and changed their lives by viewing it. I would be so incredibly grateful to be able to continue this mission and have it affect thousands more lives in the years to come.
Please visit the" Freedom Found A Cuban Refugee Raft" Facebook page for more information.
This raft was obviously built by desperate people wanting a better life and freedom, the same freedom that many in American take for granted. Knowing that they willingly left their family, friends and life in Cuba and risked everything, including their very lives, for a better life here is simply awe inspiring.
I am an artist in Houston Texas, and my mixed media art is almost exclusively items found on beaches. This incredible raft was by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever found on the beach. Some parts of what I salvaged from the raft have been displayed as an exhibit in an art gallery in Houston, at Affaire d’Art Gallery in Galveston TX, and is currently on display at The MarketPlace in the Peanut Butter Warehouse, 102 20th St Galveston TX.
Most visitors say that the raft should be in a Museum; however I have not been able to find a place with enough room for the exhibit. My intention is to find a permanent home in Galveston to display the entire raft, the rest of which is currently in storage. This larger exhibit would require a minimum of 1000 ft.² and commercial space leases for $10-$14 a square foot in Galveston.
The money raised on this crowdfunding website will be used to pay rent for the raft exhibit for ONE Year, Lease hold improvements, Marketing, Media, Signage, Utilities, Maintainence, upgrading the photo story that accompanies the raft and other exhibit expenses, including the 8% fee taken by GoFundMe. This will be an ongoing project and if necessary, we will charge a nominal admission to see the raft, although I would prefer not to do so.
Those of you who have met me understand my passion for this project, and know my willingness to relocate to Galveston so that I can personally tend to the raft exhibit on a daily basis. I want this raft to be used to help educate people as to the plight of the Cuban people and of refugees all over the world and to honor those that built this raft and all the other rafts. To help others understand what it is like living in a Third World or Communist country and to yearn for a better life for yourself and your family. Americans sometimes need reminders to appreciate what we have and the freedom we can take for granted. The brave and desperate individuals who made this raft clearly wanted what we already have.
I am already so grateful for all of the support that has been given to me for the Cuban refugee raft project so far. SO many people have expressed their gratitude to me for what this exhibit showed them and how it affected them and changed their lives by viewing it. I would be so incredibly grateful to be able to continue this mission and have it affect thousands more lives in the years to come.
Please visit the" Freedom Found A Cuban Refugee Raft" Facebook page for more information.
Organizer
Maureen Mo Huddleston
Organizer
Houston, TX