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Blog → August 2, 2018

Covey Center Art Exhibit with Elizabeth Thayer

Running Water Portrait

Written by Megan Carson

Don’t miss out on an extraordinary opportunity to meet Elizabeth Thayer, the incredible portrait artist behind the paintings done of our friends seeking refuge. She has her work currently on display at the Covey Center in Provo, Utah (on Center Street).

Cover Center Art Exhibit With Liz Thayer

THIS FRIDAY, August 3rd from 6-9pm, Liz will be greeting exhibit-goers at a reception for her exhibit. You won’t want to miss this exhibit - it’s soul-stirring and powerful! And, to meet Liz in person, to hear her experiences behind the paintings makes them really come to life.

In•humanity Flier

I had the privilege of meeting Liz this week, as she walked with me through the stories of the courageous subjects of her paintings. In an intimate setting like that, these beautiful people became so much more than refugees. It was clear that she was telling me about her friends.

Liz Thayer Tsos Portrait Artist
Liz Thayer, TSOS Portrait Artist with Megan Carson, TSOS Social Media Manager

You also don’t want to miss an interview she had with Julie Rose on BYU Radio as they walked around the exhibit together! Liz knows the people and their stories, and her personal connections with them bring them as much to life as her paintbrush.

Covey Center Art Exhibit
Covey Center Art Exhibit
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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