A family experiencing homelessness can hardly be concerned with art for their walls.

But a community of artists is coming together, sharing their art, in an effort to address homelessness. Henrico County nonprofit Housing Families First is partnering with 14 local artists to raise money to support families in the region facing homelessness and housing instability. They serve the greater Richmond region with a goal of providing opportunities to build a legacy for families by providing a path to a permanent home.

This partnership will be on display at “The Art of Housing” on Thursday, Feb. 27 at the VMFA. The event will include food, drinks, music and a silent auction featuring works of art donated by these local artists. This year’s event is particularly significant because it kicks off a series of celebrations for their 25th anniversary year.

The artists are selected through connections with board members, donors, and staff, and many have contributed their work to past events, while others are new to the exhibition.

“Each year, we strive to feature a diverse group of talented artists with local ties, ensuring a broad representation of styles and perspectives,” says Jasmine Snead, Housing Families First’s community engagement and communications manager. “We allow them full creative freedom, but we aim to offer a varying range of price points in our art auction to ensure accessibility for all supporters.”

Painter D. Kane first got involved last year when curator Mickael Broth, a.k.a. the Nightowl, asked him to donate a painting for the annual auction. “They explained the mission of the organization was to provide shelter and resources for families that needed another chance at stability,” Kane says. “I wanted to help support that mission.”

A contemporary abstract painter currently based in Hampton Roads, Kane focuses his work on the constant duality of life’s choices, using bold, organic, black-and-white shapes to explore that complexity and present a sense of balance. His work has been acquired by the VMFA and private collectors across the U.S. as well as in Germany, London and France. “I strive to impact communities through immersive installations and public mural projects that help ignite the imagination,” Kane says.

His submission for “The Art of Housing” is an acrylic painting, “Here for You 2025.” “It represents the helping hand from the community during times of need,” says Kane. “It serves as a bold reminder that we’re never alone when facing the challenges of life.”

In addition to an exhibition of artwork and silent auction, the event will feature opportunities for guests to connect with Housing Families First’s mission. Proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships, and art purchases will directly support their programs, helping families move from homelessness to stable housing.

Over the past 25 years, Housing Families First has expanded from an emergency shelter to a comprehensive, housing-focused organization. It currently has five programs including: the Hilliard House emergency shelter; Building Neighbors rapid re-housing program; the Bringing Families Home partnership with local school districts; Key Hunters housing coaching and support; and Forging Foundations program that works with parenting or single 18-24-year-olds. Over its 25-year history, Housing Families First has served over 4,300 people, including 773 people within 234 households in 2024 alone.

“It’s also important to note that our programs have a strong track record of empowering families and helping them get on the path to a permanent home,” says Snead. “Last year, 90% of the families we served exited our programs to permanent housing.”

Naomi McCavitt went to school for painting and still considers herself a painter first and foremost. In 2017, she started her company Thicket Design to provide accessible, nature-themed artworks as prints or paintings to customers. At that point, she also began doing custom illustration work and murals for clients.

“My first client was the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries who had me do over 50 species illustrations,” McCavitt says. “The murals and commissions I do for clients and my own products—paintings, prints, wallpaper—are all a combination of this type of naturalist illustration with a little dash of surrealism and some narrative elements.”

For the upcoming event, she submitted “Bison, (colorful version),” a 48″ x 38″ framed giclee print from a gouache series she did a few years back, pairing species illustrations of individual animals in flattened landscapes of plants that might be found where the animals live. “These wildflowers are all prairie varieties and the birds on his back are magpies. Bison and magpies have a symbiotic relationship,” McCavitt explains. “I’m always trying to capture a kind of feeling about nature, a type of psychedelic wonder.”

She got involved with the fundraiser because of her belief that everyone deserves a calm and safe place to live. McCavitt says that Housing Families First is low barrier, meaning they aren’t applying a lot of rules that would make it difficult for someone experiencing homelessness to qualify. “They specifically help people with children, so obviously this is especially important, and the shelter serves as a home base while they work on finding a more permanent situation,” McCavitt says. “They work with families—however you define that—to get them back on their feet and living in a home again.”

“The Art of Housing” 2025 fundraiser will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at VMFA, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. Tickets