Mark Barone and Marina Dervan: Artist Paints 5500 Shelter Dogs for Social Change

As an artist/narrative painter for 30+ years, Mark Barone’s work has been featured in top art publications, awarded and exhibited throughout America, with much of it in private and corporate collections globally. Mark is also a national, award-winning consultant, using his talent to teach cities how to revitalize blighted neighborhoods with the arts. His successful creation and implementation of the “Paducah Artist Relocation Program” program won the Governor’s Award in the Arts, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association Distinguished Planning Award, the Kentucky Earth Day Award for Preservation, the national award from the American Planning Association for a Special Community Initiative, and the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.

Marina Dervan is a 25 year veteran of coaching corporate executives from Wall Street and North America, to London and Continental Europe. Renowned as a dynamic, powerful, and inspiring coach, she’s devoted her life to finding compassionate solutions to “people problems” and developed her own system. "The Conflict Cure" helps leaders, celebrities, and couples identify and successfully navigate through the deluge of human emotions and harmful mental constructs, back to a place of peace and personal power.     

Mark and Marina founded An Act of Dog  by a force much stronger than themselves.  After learning how many dogs are destroyed every day, Mark and Marina knew they couldn’t just turn away.

Get the scoop behind how Mark came to paint 5,500 shelter dog portraits, and what keeps them dedicated their lives to this cause. Marina donates her proceeds from coaching to An Act of Dog and also manages the charity. Mark devotes all of his time and artistic talent to the charity and devoted his life to using his art for social change.