Every year at this time, about 1,000 folks come to Columbus to protest the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning because the school trained some soldiers who killed eight people in 1989 in San Salvador. Over the years, the protest has become more about protesting than about any particular thing. The folks in Columbus love the School and love the protestors because they fill up the hotels and restaurants.

Most years, a celebrity joins the protest. Martin Sheen has been here as has Pete Seegar and the Indigo Girls. This year it's Bo Bartlett.

Bo who?

Bo Bartlett is a fairly signifcant painter in the Wyeth style. Some of his work is quite good. Here is one called "The Goddess".

He was asked if he had done any paintings about the protest. He replied that he had done the one below which is called "The forge". Beating swords into plowshares.

The Columbus Museum of Art has one of Bartlett's paintings. This one is 8 feet by 10 feet and is titled "Homecoming". There's so much symbolism in it it's a wonder it doesn't bring down the wall with the weight. It occupies a prominent place in the museum's collection