Riley Gains Inspires Gen Z

 

Riley Gaines has become a leader among women since 2022, but became especially endeared by the people of West Virginia when she visited Charleston in January of 2024.  Riley arrived at our State Capitol to lend support to the Women's Bill of Rights otherwise known as HB 5243 (later version, SB 601) A bill which was killed, by the way, from liberal leaning lawmakers from both parties.  They say West Virginia has a Republican "supermajority" but you couldn't prove it from our last legislative session.

 

Regardless, the visit from Riley Gaines inspired many Mountaineers and left an indelible impression on Generation Z especially, as these are the young women having to stand up to protect the integrity of women's sports.  Maybe you read about the girls from Harrison County recently who refused to compete against a boy in their track & field competition.   

Riley Gaines was instrumental in getting the story circulated far and wide, with over 9 million views in less than 3 days, from her post on X alone. It was also shared by Martina Navratilova and reposted from sports enthusiasts in Canada and the UK as well.

Since many of us from an older generation idolize the spirit of teamwork and strength expressed in the 1942 iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, we set out to find an artist who might be able to emulate the work of J. Howard Miller, ...with an updated twist to highlight the courage of this modern day leader. 

Little did we know at the outset that the creative talent for this endeavor would be found from a homegrown artist--born and raised in southern West Virginia.  "Riley the Riveter", shown above, was designed as a result of that search and partnership. 

 

The creator of this unique work is Apollo Jefferson, a student illustrator & cartoonist studying Game Art on a scholarship at Full Sail University. She has more than six years of experience as a small-time freelance artist.

 

Apollo discovered her love for visual storytelling at eight years old after uncovering the first volume of Rumiko Takahashi's Inu Yasha in her elementary school's library. This fateful encounter sparked a fuse for her future art career.

She seized every opportunity to study art theory and technique despite the lack of formal art education in her home town. Since then, Apollo has worked tirelessly to curate her craft with many opportunities to practice the necessary skills within her home community from original animated film productions to festival mascot design.

Since then, Apollo has worked with over seventy clients during the last six years of her blossoming career. The commissions fund her art education and sustain the material cost of producing her exceptional works.   Recently, she accepted a position as an animator for the Gospel Broadcasting Network.  

You can check out her website and artist portfolio here.

Thank you Apollo, for sharing your creative talent with us! 

Update: 4.22.2024, 8:50pm.. This unique work of art is available for purchase from Apollo Jefferson's print shop.  It's made to order in gallery-quality giclée print, canvas, acrylic, metal and poster prints.