CAC Installs New Art Piece at the Douglas County Foster & Adoption Center
Douglasville, Georgia – The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/ Douglas County (CAC) launched a new initiative to use public art to further establish the community as a dynamic center of creativity and a destination for visitors. The first public art piece was unveiled as a public art bench that now resides in front of the arts center building and was inspired by the CAC’s Butterfly Garden that is maintained by the Douglas County Master Gardeners and the Ama-Kanasta Garden Club. The CAC is excited to release its next project at the Douglas County Foster & Adoption Center. The dimensions of the wall mural are 17 by 9 feet and depict a field of flowers with a home nestled in the quiet forest. A tire swing hangs from a tree and a quote in the sky says, “Every Child is a different kind of flower and all together make this world a beautiful garden.” Although this mural is not available for public viewing, it is touching the lives of all the kids and families that go through the system. Douglas County Foster Parent Association President Mindy Alexander states, “This mural will bring light and beauty to our communities’ most vulnerable youth. It will be the focal point i
n our family visitation room, where our children from hard places and their families can come to heal from the trauma that has impacted their lives”.
The beautiful wall mural was hand painted by local and renowned artist, Alan Kuykendall. A lifelong learner, Alan holds several degrees in the arts, science, and education. His primary artistic influences were a childhood nursery rhyme book, comic, and science fiction books, and the impressionists. Alan has worked in the West Georgia community for over 40 years as a commission artist. His murals, portraits, and illustrations hang on and in public buildings, churches and businesses. To Alan, art is the expression of mankind’s potential in a promise of what might be, it is the artist who gives it form so that we may see it more clearly.
The community is vital to the foster care program. It takes all of us working together to provide safety and security to children. Douglas County currently has 150+ children in foster care, but have very few foster homes. Without local foster homes, our children are placed outside of the county which has an impact on their emotional and educational needs. DFCS is looking to increase their foster home’s total to 100 homes to keep our children within their own community. If you are interested in becoming a Douglas County Foster Parent through the Division of Family and Children Services, please contact Resource Development Supervisor at 678-575-8420.
The purpose of public art is not only to enrich the community and improve our quality of life through its ability to enrich an environment but also to ignite the imagination, encourage thought and to prompt discourse. Public art benefits the community through placemaking, bringing people together, and can be used as a tool in economic development. Public art can also strengthen personal connections to one’s community.
The Cultural Arts Council Douglasville/ Douglas County, located at 8652 Campbellton Street in historic downtown Douglasville, Georgia, is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm. For directions, more information, or to make your reservations, visit www.artsdouglas.org or contact the Cultural Arts Council at 770-949-2787.
The mission of the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County is to nurture, guide and stimulate the enjoyment of and participation in the arts among Douglas County residents by providing an atmosphere conducive to the arts. The programs and activities of the Cultural Arts Council are supported in part by the City of Douglasville and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.
CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL DOUGLASVILLE/DOUGLAS COUNTY
P.O. Box 2018
Douglasville, Georgia 30133
Phone 770.949.2787 Fax 770.949.5946
www.artsdouglas.org