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Health & Fitness

Suwanee Artists Paint to build Habitat Homes and Hope

North Gwinnett Arts Association President Vickie Johnson and members Brandy Posey, David Phillips and Rosa Jang were busy painting Doors of Art Saturday, August 17th at their studio in Suwanee. They were working to prepare for the outdoor art event, Doors to Homes and Hope

Doors to Homes and Hope is a community outdoor art event to increase awareness of the need for decent, affordable homes in Gwinnett. The Suwanee artists are painting with a purpose to support Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity, Gwinnett ReStore and ArtWorks! Gwinnett.  

When I arrived at the North Gwinnett Art Association studio, both Vickie's and Brandy's Door of Art were well in progress. David though was sketching on a piece of paper to define his subject before he began painting. It was interesting to see how he went from his idea on paper to painting his door canvas.  Rosa, a fine art artist and art instructor was collaborating with Kay Lim to paint a Door of Art.

The atmosphere in the studio was welcoming and the conversation among the artist was heart-felt as they discussed why they wanted to paint of door.  

Vickie explained that sharing her talent to help make a community impact was important. She mentioned that using her talent for a purpose was very rewarding. Brandy felt getting the community engaged through art is a fun way to make a difference. 

Shelly Howard, Event Chair came up with the idea to paint doors while visiting Gwinnett Habitat ReStore in Lawrenceville.  Within a few minutes of seeing the doors, Doors to Homes and Hope was launched as a way to increase awareness of the work Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity and Gwinnett ReStore does to help provide decent, affordable homes. 

Community is felt to be the key to opening doors to homes and hope to break the cycle of inadequate housing. The Suwanee artists demonstrate how people can give to make a difference one family at a time, one community at a time.

Raye Varney the Director of ArtWorks! Gwinnett joined the efforts to represent the artist community and Tixie Fowler the PR & Marketing Manager of the City of Norcross stepped up to host the inaugural event and Doors of Art dedication during the Norcross Art Fest on October 5th.  Doors of Art will be displayed in Duluth and Suwanee as well as other locations around Gwinnett County. Doors to Homes and Hope coincides with World Habitat Day Monday, October 7th.

An online art gallery will showcase the Doors of Art and their exhibit locations by October 5th. Please refer to www.gwinnettrestore.org for more information.


Want to get involved with Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity?

Stop by ReStore at 2100 Riverside Parkway, Lawrenceville to SHOP DONATE VOLUNTEER!  Join our newsletter to see the new arrivals.  JOIN HERE 

PATCH readers CLICK HERE to save at Gwinnett ReStore! 

Want to join North Gwinnett Art Association?

Stop by the studio at 140 Town Center Avenue, Unit 204 in Suwanee - Open Saturdays Only.  You can also JOIN HERE

Interested in supporting the arts in Gwinnett?

Join ArtWorks! Gwinnett CLICK HERE

Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity addresses poverty housing by building decent, affordable homes for families in our community. Gwinnett ReStore is the retail division of Habitat where donated items used to build, renovate and decorate are sold to generate proceeds to support the Habitat mission.

ArtWorks! Gwinnett, the non-profit, tax-exempt umbrella organization serving Gwinnett County, promotes and builds support for arts and culture opportunities to enrich our community. The organization fosters collaborations, presents professional development programs for artists and arts administrators, and markets the arts community to make a positive impact on the economic impact and quality of life in Gwinnett.


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