Princeton, NJ — June 23, 2020 — Marina Vorojeykina Ahun, a Princeton fine art artist born in the former Soviet Union, has always managed to rebuild her life. Once, after being persecuted for her Christian Orthodox faith in Uzbekistan and immigrating to the U.S., and again, after a fire destroyed everything she owned. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it was one hurdle too many. Without revenue, she connected with Share My Meals, a Princeton, NJ non-profit organization addressing food insecurity through the distribution of healthy meals.
“We were looking for ways to thank our donors and when Marina’s talent was brought to our attention by our volunteers,“ said Isabelle Lambotte, Share My Meals President and co-founder. “We decided to buy her postcards to use them as thank you cards. We are also helping Marina explore new outlets, promote and sell her art.”
Through its Community Inclusion Program, Share My Meals provides members with paid opportunities specific to their skills and talents.
Thanks to the program, Marina will be able to continue painting. She will also receive support and coaching from Share My Meals, which will contribute to helping her overcome her current difficulties.
“I move back and forth between two styles,” said Marina Ahun. “Realistic representation of subject matter and abstract, and between two mediums. Urban street scenes will become a realistic painting, I use watercolor. When I do abstract painting, I use oil. And I have no idea what the painting is going to look like when I start. The painting dictates.”
She is Princeton University’s only Licensed and Commissioned Artist providing realistic ‘portraits’ of the University’s iconic, historical campus.
Marina attended the prestigious Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art and Architecture. “I was either very lucky or very talented to have gotten into one of the top art schools in Europe,” she adds.
“I want to express my sincerest, heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people of Princeton for their help and support. I am still facing the enormous task of rebuilding my life,” said Marina. “I know others who experienced a tragedy and feel the same way and are grateful for this community ‘safety net’. I am appreciative of Share My Meals for its amazing support.”
Marina teaches painting to 11 to 15 years old children and is impatient to be able to share her passion for art again. She is currently working on a series of representations of Princeton University gargoyles and tigers. See marinaahun.com for more information.
Marina Ahun has recently been the guest of the podcast Back In America.
About Share My Meals
Share My Meals is a 501(c) (3) organization working to alleviate hunger and food waste through the distribution of reclaimed meals from corporate cafeterias, schools, universities, and restaurants to people experiencing food insecurity in Princeton.
Founded in 2020, Share My Meals is run by volunteers committed to rebalancing the food equation: Less Food Waste = Less Hunger. For more information visit: www.sharemymeals.org.
Press Contact: stan@sharemymeals-b06596.ingress-earth.ewp.live 609 933 4363
