Local artists help Habitat for Humanity make each house a home
There’s something profound about the moment when four walls become a home. It happens differently for everyone, but for hundreds of Greenville families whose path to home ownership includes Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, it begins with the gift of art. Quilts soft enough for children to wear like capes, watercolor seascapes offering peaceful ambiance, and photographs capturing colorful slices of life comprise the donations artists have given to new Habitat homeowners for more than 20 years.
One artist’s involvement started with a practical question: “What am I gonna do with all these paintings?” Watercolor artist Carol Hoffmann had been painting daily, accumulating stacks of landscapes and seascapes. “I didn’t want to die and all my stuff be sold for 25 cents a piece at a garage sale,” she says. Her friend’s suggestion led her to Habitat around 2015, but Hoffman’s commitment soon went deeper than mere donations. When recipients choose seascapes, Hoffman tells them how the ocean brings her unmatched peace and relaxation, and that she hopes they can share in that experience through the artwork.
Pat Hubbard’s Nimble Thimbles Quilt Guild has been at this even longer. Since 2004, they’ve donated 845 quilts to Habitat families. Hubbard, the group’s chairman of philanthropy, has found a mysterious synchronicity in her donations.
“I think I have a quilting angel,” she says, recalling a 13-year-old girl who chose the very quilt Hoffman had designated for her. She carefully chooses several options for each family, but thinks of the individuals when doing so. “There have been so many times that I’ve just had the right quilts for the right person.”
Greg Hammond began donating his art in early 2022. The enthusiastic photographer doesn’t consider himself “an artist, per se,” but his background working with homeowners and first-time homeowner-builders taught him the transformative power of homeownership. He presents families with thumbnail options of ten photographs—wildlife, covered bridges, sunsets, flowers—letting them select what speaks to them. “I’m hoping it’s going to help them transfer a house to a home,” he says.
The families receiving these artistic gifts have earned their homes through Habitat’s partnership model: contributing sweat equity through construction work and volunteering, completing homeowner education classes, and maintaining affordable mortgage payments that help fund future homes. As a result, a 2018 study found that 96 percent of Habitat Greenville’s families feel more stable, 95 percent gain confidence, and 67 percent see their children’s grades improve. Into this landscape of profound change, the artists help enable quieter but important parts of the transformation.
It’s what has these artists hooked from the start. Hoffman’s first watercolor recipient hugged her and said, “This is going to be my vacation until I can afford one.” Hubbard found herself moved by a nine-year-old boy who wore one of the quilts around his shoulders throughout an entire dedication ceremony, never letting it go. In these small ways, the artists and their work become part of the newly built homes and rebuilt lives, one piece at a time.
Find out how you can get involved at habitatgreenville.org.
Habitat for Humanity of Greenville By the Numbers
425+ homes and affordable mortgages since 1985
300+ served through critical repair in the Home Preservation program
3,500 volunteers per year
