An internally displaced woman collects water from a pond to construct a mud-house at the Aboushok camp in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan, November 17, 2015. The conflict in Sudan's Darfur region that erupted 12 years ago shows no sign of ending. But it hasn't stopped displaced youngsters, some of whom have spent their entire lives in refugee camps, from dreaming big. Twelve children aged 12 explain their hopes and dreams for the future; ambitions include becoming a doctor, an engineer and a teacher. (Photo by Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

In this November 7, 2016 photo, “El Menor”, a member of “Los Cainos” self-defense group formed by the Marval fishing family, holds a homemade gun before starting a night patrol to help protect fishermen from pirate attacks in Punta de Araya, Sucre state, Venezuela. Pirates are terrorizing the coastal state of Sucre, once home to the world's fourth-largest tuna fleet and a thriving fishing industry. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

A young girl sits on a mat, as worshippers arrive to pray to mark the Muslim Eid-al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifices) without observationg precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Kara, Ogun State in southwest Nigeria, on July 31, 2020. Nigerian Muslim faithfuls joined their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid-El-Adha, Islamic festival of sacrifice. (Photo by Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP Photo)

Olympiakos' Italian defender #05 Lorenzo Pirola (L) is held by Sporting Braga's French forward #09 Amine El Ouazzani during the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 2 football match between Olympiakos and Sporting Braga at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on October 3, 2024. (Photo by Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP Photo)

American sculptor Michael Alfano has been sculpting for over fifteen years. A native of New York, he now lives and works in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His major influences are Salvador Dali, Jo Davidson, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, as well as Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi and other eastern philosophy and literature. He first studied at the Art Students League of New York, with an emphasis on life-size sculpture from the model. His formal education continued at Boston University and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

A baboon clings to the leg of an internally displaced boy at a camp on the outskirts of the town of Qol Ujeed, on the border with Ethiopia, Somaliland April 17, 2016. Across the Horn of Africa, millions have been hit by the severe El Nino-related drought. In Somaliland and its neighbouring, also semi-autonomous, Puntland region, 1.7 million people are in need of aid, according to the United Nations. In Somaliland itself, the most affected areas include the northwest Awdal region bordering Ethiopia. (Photo by Siegfried Modola/Reuters)

Nelson Hernandez flashes the victory sign as he shows off one of the voodoo dolls that he is selling at El Viejo Lazaro Botanica to try and help the Miami Heat fans root their team on against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals on June 9, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The dolls made from cotton come in white or black and they are all the same size. The user of the doll must have the name of the player attached to the doll, which is filled with cotton, herbs, sticks and a special powder. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Veteran cholita wrestler Jennifer dos Caras, 45, holds a cement block over teen wrestler Lucero la Bonita in the ring in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, January 21, 2019. Trainees of cholita wrestling are still a year away from their full professional debuts while competing in matches against established athletes. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)