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The latest on the Syria situation.

Illinois Teacher Gains International Attention For His Art About Syria

Marc Nelson is a junior high art teacher in Kewanee, Illinois. His own arthas largely focused on war, he's been awarded for his paintings of scenes from the Holocaust. The current crisis in Syria however has been his latest war of focus. It's led to numerous pieces depicting atrocities happening there.

The art has been done by him as well as his students. It's gained international attention -- much of it getting shared on social media, using the hashtags like #StandWithAleppoand #ArtForAleppo. (Follow Nelson on Twitter, here.) He says it was watching a documentary on Netflix and learning about The White Helmets, a rescue group that attends to victims of bombings in Syria, that served as the catalyst for his project. Take a listen to learn more about it:

Rachel Otwell of the Illinois Times is a former NPR Illinois reporter.
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