Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Portraits of Hope

Monthaven

Inspirational Stories from the Lovelady Center

Portraits of Hope

During the summer of 2024, Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center showcased the traveling exhibition Portraits of Hope: Inspirational Stories from the Lovelady Center. The exhibit portrays women and staff from the Lovelady Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

In 2004, Brenda Lovelady Spahn founded The Lovelady Center, a faith-based rehabilitation facility in Birmingham, Alabama where women come to live for nine to twelve months as they recover from addiction, domestic violence, or incarceration. The Center strives to help women rebuild their lives and walk forward with faith-driven hope for the future and a renewed sense of self. The Center not only provides food, shelter, and clothing for its residents, but it also teaches women valuable life skills and how to overcome the barriers to success in their lives.

In 2021, Beverly McNeil, Birmingham resident and owner of the nationally recognized portraiture agency Portraits, Inc., established Portraits of Hope, Inc. to help raise funds and visibility for The Lovelady Center. All of the subjects featured in this exhibit are associated with The Lovelady Center – some are residents, some are staff members, and others are ministers. Each painting was created by a different artist who volunteered their time and talents to the Portrait Project, a mission to show the featured women a better version of themselves — and to give hope to others who might need help reimagining themselves.

A collection of the portraits, each accompanied by the women’s stories in their own words, is now part of a book titled Portraits of Hope.

 

Learn More About Portraits of Hope

Kaylin Warden

External Affairs Coordinator

Kaylin Warden joined the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center staff in 2024 as External Affairs Coordinator. In this post, she organizes special off-site events and manages the organization’s external communications. She also works with the development department by updating the MACC’s customer relations database, and she assists the executive director in setting up exhibitions. Above all else, Kaylin is passionate about the arts. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is now pursuing a master’s degree in art history. When she’s not at the MACC, you can find her reading her favorite books (especially ones dealing with maritime mysteries), cooking, gardening, playing with her cat and two dogs, and cheering for the Nashville Predators.

Ruth Chase

Regional Arts Director
Ruth Chase is the Regional Arts Director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, joining the team in 2023. For Ruth, the job is all about community, bringing people together to uplift and educate artists and art lovers alike. Her role at Monthaven is to strengthen the local artist community and build connections that will enrich Hendersonville and our surrounding communities through art exhibitions, art education, and opportunities for regional artists.
 
Prior to joining Monthaven, Ruth worked in the arts for over 30 years and is a multimedia artist and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. Her artistic practice is inquiry-based and engages in community bridge-building. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles, curated and juried exhibitions, and has taught at the Crocker Art Museum.
 
Ruth was awarded an Artist-in-Residence for Artist Activating Communities through a grant from the California Arts Council for three consecutive years. Her film Belonging screened at both the 18th Annual Nevada City Film Festival and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. She has received the Legendary Female Artist of Venice award, and she has exhibited in The Crocker Kingsley, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute. Ruth also continues her work as a Curatorial Consultant and Art director for the Californian Indigenous Research Project, where she has worked with the local tribe since 2018.