THE MISSING CHILDREN: A Gathering
A growing exhibit of portraits by John Paul Thornton

An event occurred that profoundly affected John Paul Thornton and his art. He was invited to make a special presentation at a school for children with severe behavioral and emotional disorders. Moved by the children and their stories, he secured a position teaching art and theatre at the school. For six years, he counseled and performed crisis intervention for at-risk youths, runaway teens, abused children, and young gang members.

John Paul found himself propelled into a spiraling odyssey. This was a population of youth he had never before encountered. Violence, anguish, terror, and frustration were part of their everyday existence, and each day brought John Paul a powerful message, revealing new lessons about the preciousness of childhood and the frailty of the family structure.

Then one day... a student of John Paul's was abducted.

Learn more about what led the artist to create his Missing Children series of paintings by taking this guided tour of the project. Or read this Press Release that further explains the project.