Houston, TX – Legendary tennis player Zina Garrison has joined forces with local artist Kelly Gale Amen and The Stetzel & Associates Showroom to celebrate the arts, academics and athletics at an open house on Wednesday, February 26 from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Artwork and functional art furniture will be on display and for sale in the showroom, which is located in The Decorative Center of Houston. The work displayed represents a collaboration between locally renowned artists who have created mixed media works over canvases painted by children during the Zina Garrison Academy’s Paint Day. The Paint Day canvases have also been incorporated into Kelly Gale Amen’s functional art furniture, as well as artwork by artists Sergio Santos, J. Antonio Farfan, and Debbie Porter.
Every year, the Zina Garrison Academy hosts “Paint Day”, where children dunk tennis balls in buckets of paint and then hurl the coated spheroids at huge 8 X 14 ft. canvases, creating vibrant abstract art in the process.
“To be able to make a difference in the merging of arts, athletics and academics was the inspiration for Paint Day. Our goal here is to inspire kids to embrace their dreams, and understand that they can become reality,” said Kelly Gale Amen. “No matter how the tennis ball is touched--with a racquet, on the field, by the hand or by the eye—it will make a difference to our students, and we do it all for the Zina Garrison Academy.”
Nancy Lerner, President of the Board of Directors at the Zina Garrison Academy, shares Amen’s enthusiasm for this project. “Paint Day has become one of our favorite annual events, and we are eager to see how these talented professional artists have incorporated the work of our students into their own creations. From what we’ve seen so far, this is going to be a spectacular show.”
Guests of the event will have the opportunity to view the entire collection and purchase their favorite pieces, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Zina Garrison Academy. The event will take place in The Stetzel & Associates Showroom, located inside the Decorative Center of Houston at 5120 Woodway, Suite 2010. Additional information for the show can be found at www.ZinaGarrison.org
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sophia Macris
(713) 899-9321
Christie Garella
(713) 825-7702
About the Zina Garrison Tennis Academy
The mission of ZGA is to develop stars in the classroom, on the tennis court, and in the community by providing educational support, positive role models, parent education, and excellent tennis instruction. The Zina Garrison Academy provides 50 weeks of free programming each year for all children in the Houston area. This tennis and leadership academy was founded in 1993 by legendary tennis professional and native Houstonian Zina Garrison. Zina’s childhood friend Lori McNeil, former tennis pro who learned to play tennis alongside Zina under coach John Wilkerson’s instruction, returned to Houston in 2012 to be Director of Tennis. John Wilkerson, the coach who taught Zina and Lori the game of tennis during their youth in a similar free program, is the Senior Director of Tennis at the ZGA. Over the past two decades, the Academy has targeted underserved youth, helping them to discover their individual talents, stay healthy and fit, and become future leaders in the community while learning the sport of tennis. During this time, the Academy has provided services to over 25,000 children. For more information, visit www.ZinaGarrison.org.
About Stetzel & Associates
Since 1989, Sharon Stetzel has been serving the design community of the Gulf Coast with the finest in transitional and traditional accessories and furnishings for the home and office at affordable prices. This trade-only showroom is located in the Decorative Center of Houston and boasts over 100 suppliers. For more information, visit www.StetzelAndAssociates.com.
About Kelly Gale Amen
Born in 1949, Kelly moved to Houston in 1972 to begin his professional design career. He started his own design business, KGA Inc., in 1974 and has been an influential participant in the Houston arts & design community for decades. He is a founding member of ASID and American Society of Furniture Artists (ASOSA). Kelly has thrown his support behind many charitable ventures throughout his career, adding his special slant on how to engage and reward those involved in fund raising as well as those receiving the benefit of those funds. For more information, visit www.KGA.net.