Shelley's Story

Dear Friend of NAC and CREATE Newberry,

As we prepare for a summer filled with color and creativity in our new home, we invite you to make a gift that will help make the arts accessible to children and adults in Newberry. When Shelley was 15 years old, her teacher, Genell Boozer, put the first paintbrush in her hand. “My parents saw something in me, a gift worth fostering, and art became the place where I could breathe. I found it cathartic in a way I couldn't quite explain. I kept painting after college, after moving away from Newberry, and even after my daughter Alanna was born.” Then tragedy hit. “My first son, Evan, died from Barth syndrome, an ultra-rare genetic disorder. Then we lost our second son, Michael, to the same genetic disorder. Each loss was a trauma I couldn't carry. I put my brushes down. For ten years, I didn't paint.” It was Alanna who finally said, “Enough. You have a gift, and it is going to die if you don't use it." Alanna gave her mother a gift certificate to the Newberry Arts Center. Shelley signed up for a mixed media class taught by Marjorie Huwa. She showed up because she didn’t want to squander Alanna’s gift. “Those first classes were hard. It was like recovering from a brain injury. I didn't know how to lay a brush on the canvas anymore. Slowly, though, I found my way back. I started to acknowledge that I could just lie down and be sad the rest of my life, or I could use my gift. Once again, I feel the extreme satisfaction in looking at something I made and knowing that earlier that morning, it was a white canvas. I get joy out of making something that is uniquely mine. I also made friends. I found encouragers who felt like family and filled a void I hadn't known how to name. I started finishing my paintings, and today my work is for sale in the Newberry Artisan shop.” As Alanna told her mother, "You have a gift, and it is going to die if you don't use it." Someone in Newberry needs those same words today, and they need access to a class where they can act on them. We invite you to make a gift of $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 or more to fund scholarships that open the doors of the Newberry Arts Center to children and adults who are ready to create. Help make sure cost is never the reason someone's gift goes undiscovered. Thank you for being a part of this vital work in and for our community.

With gratitude,

Marquerite Palmer, Executive Director for CREATE Newberry

P.S. Please scan the QR code or visit www.createnewberry.org to make your gift.