Meet Laura Shaw: Executive Director of Paint Love

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Shaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose a career in the arts because the arts were, and are, a hugely impactful part of my own childhood and life. I grew up as a ballet dancer and it was my whole world. Ballet was fun and expressive, full of emotion and empathy; it was a healthy outlet and taught me discipline, perseverance, and collaboration. It challenged me physically and mentally, and ultimately it brought me so much joy. In high school, I danced with a studio and company called New Ballet Ensemble (NBE), in Memphis Tennessee. We performed and taught workshops in public schools all over the city, which definitely introduced me to the inequities in access to artistic education and creative opportunities. I think this is the “why” for many folks who work with Paint Love’s programming or donate to our mission: looking back, I can pick out specific experiences or people that exposed me to new creative fields or introduced me to ways of doing things or thinking about things differently than what I knew – art opened up a new realm of possibilities about the world and I can’t imagine my life without it. I wasn’t destined to become a ballerina, though. Career-wise, I knew I wanted to do something in the line of social-justice oriented, community work with kids, but it took me a little while to come back to the arts. I explored a lot of different (and at the time seemingly unrelated) roles in the nonprofit sector and non-traditional educational settings and when I started working with Paint Love, it just perfectly encompassed all the things I was interested in and wanted to be a part of growing. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets Paint Love apart from other nonprofits or art education organizations is that art is our vehicle, but the soul of our work is showing children that their voice matters, their ideas are important, and their actions can make a difference in shaping the future. Paint Love truly believes art empowers young people and strengthens communities. Our programs provide space for joy, expression, creativity, and imagination, along with a data-backed, research-based, trauma-informed model that meets kids where ever they’re at and helps them work through whatever they’re going through. It could be internally processing emotions and a safe way to sit with or express big feelings, sharing their experiences or story, or taking action to create positive change in their community. It is definitely not easy. Fundraising is our biggest challenge, as nonprofits rely on others to believe in your work as much as you do. I never knew fundraising could be so emotional, but every time someone donates to Paint Love, I’m just so thankful we’ve connected with them in a way that demonstrates our work is worth giving your hard-earned money to. We work really hard to show donors and members of our community where their money goes, how we’re using it in the most impactful way, and how we’re growing to become more and more sustainable. The pandemic also certainly hasn’t been easy on us as a small nonprofit. I’m thankful though, for the cultural shift and increased resources and interest in social-emotional learning and creative approaches to wellness and community change. Creativity is about humanity and expression, imagination and voice- and these things are essential for both dreaming up big ideas and thinking outside preexisting structures to bring them to life. Whether it is protest signs or window displays, stories shared on social media or addressing a national platform, dance or music created from pain or joy, creative expression can expose reality, shift viewpoints, motivate movement, and enact change. There has never been social change throughout history that did not depend on dreamers and creative minds to imagine a new way of being, artists to illuminate the path so that others could see the possibilities of a different future, and bold creators to build systems and usher in a new era of existing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My spouse and I just moved back to Atlanta for Paint Love, after several years of working remotely from the West Coast, so I’m still learning some of the newest spots that have popped up! The High Museum is the first place I went when we got back to Atlanta, and it’s probably top on my list for an out-of-town friend. Their collections are outstanding and I’m always thankful for such a high caliber art museum, the sister museum to the Louvre in fact, here in Atlanta. Their Friday night jazz concerts (pre pandemic) were my favorite. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights would be next on my list. It’s such a unique offering Atlanta has, and definitely a must-see for anyone who lives in here or passes through. I’m always in awe of the power the exhibits have to make me think about Atlanta’s incredible history rooted in the Civil Rights movement, and other issues of justice around the world. Piedmont Park is a given. My favorite time to go is on Saturday mornings when the Green Market is open (although not in the winter). The Morningside Famers’ Markets that is open year round is one of my weekly traditions, now, though. It has pretty much all the staples we need to get through the week, including: lots of fresh veggies including hard to find things like mushrooms, local meat and eggs, fresh pasta, bread and pastries, coffee, even chocolate and honey! As far as food, where to start?! I’m a huge fan of pizza and I think Varuni Napoli still has the best in the city. Since Covid, we’ve mostly been getting lots of takeout from Whisky Bird’s new to-go window, Little Bird, which is amazing. So many new breweries have popped up that I haven’t tried yet, but I love the Lost Druid in Avondale Estates. They have a great outdoor area and while their beers are pretty special they also have house made nonalcoholic options like kombucha and a full kitchen of incredible food, so it’s a great stop no matter who you’re with. They’re also generously hosting Paint Love’s new Art + Yoga series by sharing their indoor space that is big enough for the participants to socially distance.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many folks who have made it possible for Paint Love to exist and be where we are today, and who have supported me in this path. As a very small nonprofit with only one full time staff person (that’s me!) I truly rely on each and every person who works with Paint Love in any way, including our hardworking part time staff, board members, artists and volunteers, and every single person who donates to our mission to keep our work going. Personally, my husband, Russell, and my friends and family have been so incredibly supportive in so many ways and I’m wildly grateful. Julie McKevitt is the founder of Paint Love, and served as the Executive Director from 2014 until 2019. Julie is a local artist, advocate, dreamer, creator, mom, wife, friend, and all-around extraordinary human. She started Paint Love when she realized there was a lack of access to the arts and creative education in many of the areas of our community where it could do the most good: schools and nonprofits primarily serving youth living in poverty or who have experienced trauma. She knew the arts have such great potential for healing and bringing joy, but the organizations serving those youth were already so often hard-pressed to meet their basic needs. So she started Paint Love and between 2014 and 2019 we brought arts programming to over 10,000 kids! Our incredible staff of teaching artists and dedicated board members have also made this crazy year one where we have grown and pivoted in a way I am so proud of. Our leadership staff: Mandy Noa and Ellen Gadberry have helped our programs soar even through Zoom and reach a whole new audience of young people and educators. I’m so honored to get to work with them.

Website: www.paintlove.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/paintlove
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gopaintlove
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gopaintlove

Image Credits
First image was taken by Amber Wilburn. Last photo was taken by Dasha Crawford. All others were taken by Julie McKevitt or Laura Shaw (Paint Love staff)