WHO to feature Ty Tover’s work during virtual event
April 27, 2022
WHO to feature Ty Tover’s work during virtual event
MOBILE, Ala. — Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) envisioned the future of health and well-being in the Western Pacific in 2050 with the inaugural WHO Futures Art Exhibition. Among those who submitted entries was Ty Tover, a peer counselor with MCHD and a contemporary expressionist painter.
Of his five pieces of art which were all accepted by the juried panel, the painting titled “Alone” was selected by a panel of art experts from the Western Pacific and staff with the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific to receive special honors.
“Alone” was selected as one of the most inspiring and thought-proving pieces in the Technology category (ways in which the evolution of technology could affect health and well-being in 2050).
“I am so excited,” he said. “This is a dream come true. I have been drawing and painting since I was 3 years old.
“I always wanted to be a recognized artist. It was taught to us you had to be dead to be famous. I’m glad I got recognized before that on a worldwide scale.”
The WHO will host its “2022 Innovation Forum in the Western Pacific Region: Scaling for Impact” tonight in China. On the agenda is acknowledgement of the art contest winners. The all-virtual event is set to be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/c/whowpro/ at approximately 8:40 p.m. Central Saving Time.
A native of Mobile, Tover’s colorful paintings pay homage to his life experiences and his emotions. His distinctive personal style and use of color permeates throughout his works. Most of his works display his fondness for use of acrylic paints over black canvas.
Tover has led a very interesting life saturated in the arts: from lead dancer, to choreographer, to local painter. Tover left Mobile early on in his life to seek culture in other communities. He spent more than a decade in Los Angeles where he served on numerous artistic boards, including the Disney Anaheim Museum.
His artwork has been shown in local exhibitions, including the most recent one by the Mobile Arts Council titled “Black Health and Wellness.” Tover’s work is currently featured on the Mobile Arts Council’s Virtual Art Gallery at https://mobilearts.org/virtualgallery.
