Southport, Open Your Doors!

19 Historic Doors. 14 Local Artists. Two Great Causes. One Inspiration.

Southport Open Your Doors

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with
some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style."

- Maya Angelou

An Art and History Community Project

Upon receiving a donation of 19 historic doors from Ginger Harper, the owner of the historic Harper House on Bay Street, the Southport Historic Society looked to find ways to honor the doors' history while also celebrating the community's recovery following the pandemic.

In partnership with the Historical society, Up Your Arts created an artistic extravaganza to repurpose these pieces of history into works of art. Artists were selected through a blind jury process that ended June 14.

We chose a quote from Maya Angelou, that we felt represented the vision of opening a door between the past and the present: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style."

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The Artists and The Process

Fourteen artists were chosen, including solo and team artists: Kianna Bearden, Alora Boerner, Harry Burrell, Lori Guidi, Ginger Hedblom, Mary Beth Livers, Donna Parisi, Austin Sapp, Rosemary Wagner, and Chris Wallace. The two teams include a duo, Nancy Cray and Lynn Gillis; and a trio, Dan DeGroat, Gia Holmes, and Colleen Phillips.

Over the summer, a variety of mediums were employed by the artists to transform the doors into works of art.

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The Call for Artists

We asked local artists to envision a Southport that would not only survive, but thrive.

Unlock Your Wild

The Doors Revealed

A community reception to introduce the artists and to reveal the door art to the community.

Message in a Bottle

Doors on Tour

We took the doors on tour - to local businesses and nonprofits, so that you can see the phenomenon.

Open Doors Gala

The doors together for the last time before they find their new forever homes. (View the Pictures!)

Viewing the Doors

An artist reception was held in the fall to reveal the doors to the public, after which, the individual doors were distributed throughout Southport in local retail establishments.

The "Doors on Tour" continued through the end of they year in the retail locations, and then moved on to various nonprofit locations throughout the Southport region in January and February.

Finally, a gala event was held to reunite the doors, celebrate their collective message, and auction them to private donors. Proceeds benefit the stewardship of the Old Brunswick County Jail by the Southport Historical Society and Up Your Arts' efforts to turn the Old Brunswick County Courthouse into a community-based center for creative and performing arts.

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