You may have read about the Steve Hargash painting, Give Housing a Voice, in "Painting the Town" by Anne Pyburn Craig in our April issue.
On April 16, you'll be able to see the mural at its unveiling at Seven21 Media Center in Kingston.
The artist's reception will begin with wine and cheese at 6:30pm followed by a half-hour of storytelling at 7pm, where the inspiration for the mural began.
Depicted holding her heart and holding open her hand, the woman in the center of the new mural is Woodstock resident Tamara Cooper, whose personal story involving RUPCO, the Rural Ulster Preservation Company, inspired and enlightened her entire community.
"I dropped out of school and my children and I were living with another single parent, five of us in a small cottage. We went to visit my mother in West Virginia, where I could have support while I tried to decide what path to take next as a student and parent. A friend was gathering my mail and called to let me know I'd gotten a letter from RUPCO. My name had come to the top of the rental voucher waiting list, and they wanted to know if I was still interested. The deadline had been past for a day, but I was on the phone to them the next morning and they said they'd still work with me."
At 7:30pm, the magic moment arrives: the unveiling. At 8pm, Hargash will be available for a "Meet the Artist" segment, during which a series of limited edition and numbered prints of the piece will be available.
Admission is free, though free will donations will be accepted. All proceeds will benefit RUPCO. To RSVP, email [email protected]. For more information, visit Rupco.org/giving-housing-a-voice.
