Sunday, June 29, 2014

The American Presidents: Jimmy Carter

The following is from a work-in-progress called "The American Presidents: a Coloring Book," which will be released at Hibbleton Gallery on the Fourth of July, 2014, during the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk.


Jimmy Carter (born 1924) was the 39th President of the United States.    Before he became President, Carter was a peanut farmer.   Carter is the only U.S. president to have lived in housing subsidized for the poor.  During Carter's term as President, he created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. In response to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Carter decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.  Although his presidency received mixed reviews, his peace keeping and humanitarian efforts since he left office have made Carter renowned as one of the most successful ex-presidents in US history.Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project, and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.