20 years ago New York artist Frances McDonald began to wonder about her work’s relevance and contribution to the community. Returning to her hometown of Chattanooga she began working with underserved populations and found she was learning as much as she was teaching. Increasingly convinced of the value of collaborative art making in a public context she eventually created Mark Making and it’s mission to empower and transform through art has only gained increasing traction since. When Ellen Heavilon was inspired by McDonald’s work to launch a new facility offering homeless and non-traditional artists an opportunity to create and sell their work H’ART Gallery was born. In 2014 Mark Making artists Frances McDonald and Judy Mogul, in partnership with Hart Gallery and the CADAS Scholze Center for Adolescent Treatment, brought together Tennessee teens struggling with drug addiction to paint this E. Main St. symbol of hope and inspiration. @markmakingchattanooga @mark.making @hartgallerytn