Own a Catlanta original “Georgia Beer” painting and help support The Giving Kitchen

In early 2018 we sat down at SweetWater Brewery in Atlanta, GA and spoke with Bryan Schroeder, Executive Director of The Giving Kitchen (BGR #107). SweetWater debuted their Second Helping, an IPA brewed with juniper berries that they release each year in partnership with TGK. (The latest version of Second Helping is out now.) Schroeder shared with us how TGK got its start, and how they serve the community. As craft beer fans and regulars at many local watering holes, we’ve always been fans of what TGK does. We’ve made personal donations to support their efforts, but we wanted to do something more than that. It took us a while to come up with an idea, but we’re pretty excited with the results

Beer Guys Radio commissioned Atlanta artist Catlanta (Rory Hawkins) to create an original artwork with the theme of “Georgia Beer”. The painting will be auctioned with 100% of the proceeds donated to The Giving Kitchen. We wanted the artwork to fully reflect the artist, so very little direction outside of the core subject was given. The finished painting captures well-known Atlanta landmarks, Catlanta’s trademark cat, and hidden items known to Georgia beer fans.

PLACE YOUR BID HERE. The auction will run through November 30th. A limited edition of 25 signed and numbered prints will be available for purchase soon in our store with 25% of all print sales being donated to The Giving Kitchen.

About The Giving Kitchen

In 2012, well-known Atlanta chef Ryan Hidinger was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Ryan was insured, but the costs quickly mounted. Friends and family, as well as many others across Atlanta responded with an outpouring of love and financial support to help with expenses not covered by insurance. Ryan’s wife Jen says this gave him a peace of mind that she believes extended his life by at least six months. The amazing community response in the Hidinger’s time of need is what set the intent, beliefs, and values for The Giving Kitchen.

Giving Kitchen Crisis Grants provide financial assistance to restaurant workers, based on financial need and a defined set of criteria. Their SafetyNet program serves as a referral network for restaurant workers to social services. To date, the organization has provided over $1.5 Million in financial support to restaurant workers in the Atlanta area.

Learn more about The Giving Kitchen or make a direct donation at thegivingkitchen.org.

About Catlanta

Catlanta aka Rory Hawkins, is an Atlanta based artist primarily known for his colorful and fun paintings of cats. Hawkins moved to Atlanta from New Orleans in 1988 and has a BA in Studio Art from Georgia State University. Since graduation, Rory has produced hundreds of paintings under the moniker “Catlanta”, a name that grew from a few cats Rory spray painted throughout the city of Atlanta in 2011. The cats, three-legged with dots for eyes and hearts on their chests, quickly became known as an Atlanta street art character as they appeared on public walls and overpasses around town. Inspired by nondestructive street art movements like Free Art Friday, Rory transitioned from painting cats on walls to creating small hand painted wooden cutouts of his iconic three-legged cat which he hides around town for anyone to find. Rory shares photo clues of the piece’s location and invites his followers to track down and keep any kitten that they can find. Since he began hiding art pieces in 2011, Rory has shared well over 1,000 pieces of art. These ‘art drops’ are meant to highlight the people, places, and events that make Atlanta and other cities unique while inspiring exploration and engagement with the community where the artwork is hidden.

You can learn more about Rory and see his other work at Catlanta.net.