12/14/2024
"The two greatest challenges humans face throughout their lives are these:
1- the challenge of where to start
2- the challenge of when to stop."
-Sameh Elsayed
Several years ago, I had a spark of an idea to help bolster the art space in our city, Augusta, GA. I approached my long time friend and entrepreneur Jess Baskette about starting a non-profit that would help raise funds to pay artists to create more public art throughout the city. We ended up naming it, Beautify Augusta.
It was a fun time of brainstorming ideas and how we would function. We came up with a mission statement, "We cannot become that which we cannot behold." Meaning, one of the greatest catalysts for change (social or moral), is to behold time and time again, images, colors and words, that call us to remember who we are and what we can become. That became the premise for how Beautify Augusta would function. And by the way, we also firmly believe in the whimsical, humorous and playful ways art restores the human spirit as well.
We went to work learning how to start a non-profit. Trey Pitts offered us much needed legal counsel. We then went through the paperwork process with the State and Federal Government. We put together a board of awesome people who offered counsel and the seed money we needed to begin. (Jennifer Sapp, Ming Chen, David R Bash, Jason Rueggeberg, Jessica and myself (Jeremy).
Deisgner Matthew Schaade created our logo (which I absolutely LOVE)!!
Now, we were all set. And our first project was to organize a clean up of Jones St with a few local girl scout troupes. Sandy Helling helped us to organize that, John Patten Eckley helped sponsor the event and Commissioner Jordan Johnson came along to help and then share with the girls about social responsibility.
Not long after that, the idea came to me for a fundraising project that we would actually raise funds through publishing a Downtown Augusta Coloring Book. This book was to highlight the various business owners throughout downtown as well as some of our artists. Sanjeev Singhal assisted us with photography, and the talented Cole Frank Phail actually created the entire coloring book on our shoestring budget.
After the book came out, the sales we earned from it, we poured back into hiring many of our artists to paint murals throughout the city. We felt that it was a win-win-win for everyone involved.
We were also honored to work directly with some other local businesses, helping them to broker relationships with local talent to paint murals in or around their own businesses. Walton Options, Teaspoon Augusta and Belair Donuts & Coffee Corner were some of them. Stop by to see the incredible work by Regina L. Brejda (and team), Cole Frank Phail and Em Bender Designs.
Our latest project with Ènv Cornerstone is a beautiful piece not too far away from Savannah River Brewing Co. on Taylor St. Swing by to see it and then go brag a locally brewed beer!!
All this to say that after several years and lots of fun, Jessica and I have decided to sunset our non-profit. It has been an absolute delight to co-create with her and our board. But, life has taken us in increasingly busier and busier directions whereby, we simply cannot give the time and attention towards this cause any longer.
We wanted to thank everyone for their support, especially Brandon Dawson, who was our biggest champion and cheerleader from the very beginning!
And we also wanted to thank our businesses and artists who helped us to launch this coloring book!! We love our city and those who are doing their part in drawing us to support all things local like Love Augusta and Little Guide Augusta, and local art endeavors such as The Greater Augusta Arts Council. Please keep supporting these great folks!!
At this point, we still have a few remaining Coloring Books and are wanting to donate them to any non-profit in Augusta or North Augusta. If you are a non-profit (even a Church), would you please DM myself or Jessica, so we can coordinate a time for pick up of the books.
Ok...this is has been a long post and I've loved rewriting the journey...and as this point, this is where we have learned the art of where we need to stop. :)
