Sit back and relax this summer in your specially designed Adirondack chair.
This striking red chair,
donated by UpsaDaisy,
incorporates the daisy logo.
More than four dozen brightly colored chairs are on display throughout Homewood as part of the “Chairs for a Purpose” fundraiser for the Cancer Support Center. They will be auctioned off through online bidding.
Some chairs celebrate Homewood, others have a beach theme or a love theme. They’re decorated with animals, flowers and colorful patterns.
One is designed as a replica of a throne chair from the HBO program “Game of Thrones.”
The creativity and imagination of dozens of artists who created the chairs will help raise funds for cancer victims and their families who benefit from the services of the Cancer Support Center. The chair auction is one of the activities the center is hosting to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Bright and colors, this
chair is Homewood Florist’s
donation to the Cancer
Support Center fundraiser.
“Chairs for a Purpose” started as part of the Village of Homewood’s 125th anniversary celebration. Sue Armato, executive director of the Cancer Support Center, wanted a way to join the village celebration and at the same time mark the center’s anniversary. Homewood Business Association supported the project.
In spring, the Cancer Support Center put out a call to anyone interested in decorating a chair. Donors paid $75 for a “naked” chair supplied by Ebel’s Ace Hardware in Cherry Creek Plaza that acted as the distributor. A portion of the cost was a donation to the Cancer Support Center, said Rachael Kemnic, director of development. She pointed out that the chairs are foldable.
Artists brought the designed chairs to Homewood Auto Body Shop for a clear-coat finish.
“I love these fundraisers and we’re happy to participate,” said Kyle Arrivo of Homewood Florist, 18064 Martin Ave. She asked Kat Borham, an artist associated with Art 4 Soul, to decorate their donated chair. Borham’s design has a bright sun in the sky, an inviting stream and flowers along the chair’s arms.
A chair with a Frank Lloyd
Wright-inspired design
chair is the creation of
Stephanie Becker and
Ryan Niksic of The Art
Corner in Homewood.
Stephanie Becker, the owner of The Art Corner, 18703 Dixie Highway, and staff member Ryan Niksic went with a Frank Lloyd Wright theme for their chair. Niksic said she enjoys woodworking, so she made some adjustments to the chair adding a few wood inlays on the arms and back to carry through on the circles that are painted on the seat and back.
“Because this is a frame shop we wanted something that had clean, contemporary lines. I researched the design and came up with our own to fit the chair, and painted and cut it,” Niksic said. She and Becker estimate it took them a month to get it done.
By choosing purple as the predominant color, the chair “kind of branched away from Frank Lloyd Wright colors,” Becker admits, but they’re happy with it. “We wanted to make it pop more and be contemporary. Hopefully it brings a lot of money,” Niksic added.
Greg Loudon of Bottle & Bottega said his chair design is Van Gogh’s “Starry Nights.”
“It’s a picture we use in our painting sessions here,” he said of the Bottle & Bottega business at 2009 Ridge Road that features painting parties. He’s doing a second chair, but it’s not on display yet. It will be a surprise, and added: “Kids will love it!”
Julie Lawton, co-owner of UpsaDaisy Boutique, 18100 Martin Ave., said artist Rozanne Priebe, whose painted tiles and pillows are sold through the store, took on the job of painting the bright red chair covered in daisies incorporating the store’s logo.
Lawton, president of the Homewood Business Association, said the 2017 art auction for the South Suburban Humane Society and this year’s Adirondack chairs benefit is a great was to keep art in the downtown area. She hopes art projects in Homewood will become an annual event.
Kemnic said the online auction opens at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 13, and closes at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18. The web address will be posted days before the bidding starts. Winners are asked to pick up their chairs at the Homewood Block Party on Aug. 18.
