POVA IN THE NEWS: Williamson Home Page - Franklin Art Scene artist plans to donate proceeds from her sales to Poverty and the Arts nonprofit
Laura Hood, Painter
When Laura Hood participates in her first Franklin Art Scene Friday night at Franklin First United Methodist Church’s historic sanctuary on Fifth Avenue, she’ll be fueling a couple of her passions.
By: John McBryde
First of all, after contemplating the idea to actually sell what she has created for the past decade or so, she’ll be taking her first step to making that a reality. Hood works full-time as an interior designer for STG Design, but she wants to do more with her “side projects” of paintings and other artwork she has created primarily through inspirations from nature.
“I’ve always been a painter and an artist,” said Hood, a Franklin native who graduated from Page High School and went on to get a degree in interior design in 2011 at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. “But I’ve always had a dream of selling it on the side. I decided this year that I was going to make it a reality.
“Probably for the last 10 years I’ve been curious about other people that continuously sell their work, and I want that for myself. So when 2020 hit, I decided to go full steam and make it happen and stop dreaming about it.”
She’s not in it strictly for the money, however, and that’s where Hood’s other passion comes into play. Whatever proceeds she brings in from her paintings at Friday’s Art Scene will go toward Poverty and the Arts (POVA), a Nashville nonprofit that provides people impacted by homelessness with access to creative resources and an artistic platform.
Hood is a newcomer to POVA’s board of directors, having connected with the group’s founder and executive director, Nicole Brandt Minyard, at a seminar in November. Hood said the issue of homelessness has always tugged at her heartstring, and using her art to help seemed an ideal fit.
“This is a way that I hope to connect with them, because painting for me is a way to alleviate stress and is a relaxing exercise,” Hood explained. “I hope to be able to help monetarily with that, to give these people that gift, to give them canvases, paintbrushes and other supplies.
“For now, I can donate money from the sale of my art, and in the future maybe teach a class or take an art class with them. I hope to be able to develop that relationship and to be able to connect one on one with fellow artists.”