The Roger and Mary Ruth Crook Foundation for Peace and International Friendship is pleased to offer these limited edition prints as a way of thanking you for your gifts.

The suggested minimum donation is $50.00. 

All proceeds after expenses will be forwarded to the Peace Cathedral “Peace Project” in Tbilisi Georgia.

Rusudan Gotsiridze, born 8 February 1975, Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, (Soviet Union) is a bishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia and a women's rights activist.

Bishop Rusudan was the first female Baptist bishop in Georgia. Despite being a minority of a minority – a woman working in a predominately male religious field, and a religious minority operating in a society dominated by one faith – Bishop Rusudan bravely advocates for gender equality and for the equal protection of all of Georgia’s minorities. As a woman holding a position of church leadership, Bishop Rusudan occupies a unique and respected role, challenging the perception of the role of women in society. She contributes frequently to gender equality, efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and other women’s initiatives. With her church, Bishop Rusudan has spearheaded a number of initiatives to promote tolerance and equality in Georgia, including the establishment of interfaith dialogues that have successfully worked to protect the freedom of religious expression in Georgia, especially for the Muslim minority. Bishop Rusudan was one of the first members of the religious community to speak in support of the rights of Georgia’s LGBTQ+ community.

Bishop Rusudan is a scholar and clergy, and a wife and mother to two university students. Moreover, she is a theologian and teaches at the University. And without any art lessons, she has become a talented watercolor artist who finds solace among pigments and brushes.

“Watercolor is a very special medium. I sometimes say that God did watercolor drafts before HE/SHE started the creation of the universe. You cannot control the process. You can feel that you are not alone there. Watercolor requires respect and quite a deal of listening… As soon as you decide to dominate the process, you are losing the spirit. I love my pigments, my brushes, my papers… They are my soulmates. They know me and I know them. We listen to each other and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

It was only last spring that at the urging of a friend, Rusudan put a few paintings on Instagram for sale. They were gone within minutes. Too late to capture one, a prospective buyer offered three times the asking price! Since then, she has sold a few more, but only to those who ask. 

Bishop Rusudan spoke at the 6th United Nations Forum on Minority Issues about religious minorities in Georgia. She also received a 2014 International Women of Courage award. On February 6, 2023, the art of Bishop Rusudan was exhibited at the National Library of Parliament of Georgia. Interest in her work is rapidly growing. 

James Crook is the agent in North America for Rusudan’s art. He has given some of the limited edition prints to the Roger and Mary Ruth Crook Foundation for Peace and International Friendship to use in a fund-raising effort. All profits from this event will support the work of the Peace Project in the Republic of Georgia.