Closing Reception & Program for “Portraits of Hope”

In 2004, Brenda Lovelady Spahn founded The Lovelady Center, a faith-based rehabilitation facility in Birmingham, Alabama where women come to live for nine to twelve months as they recover from addiction, domestic violence, or incarceration. The center strives to help women rebuild their lives and walk forward with faith-driven hope for the future and a renewed sense of self. The Center not only provides food, shelter, and clothing for its residents, but it also teaches women valuable life skills and how to overcome the barriers to success in their lives.

In 2021, Beverly McNeil, Birmingham resident and owner of the nationally recognized portraiture agency Portraits, Inc., established Portraits of Hope, Inc. to help raise funds and visibility for The Lovelady Center. All of the subjects featured in this exhibit are associated with The Lovelady Center – some are residents, some are staff members, and others are ministers. Each painting was created by a different artist who volunteered their time and talents to the Portrait Project, a mission to show the featured women a better version of themselves — and to give hope to others who might need help reimagining themselves. A collection of the portraits, each accompanied by the women’s stories in their own words, is now part of a book titled “Portraits of Hope.”