The ART Garden, Lawrenceville

Artist Joanne Hunter opened The Art Garden as a place where children and adults could engage their creative minds and escape the clutches of modern technology, such as video games or iPods set on bear traps. She explained her goals to Meghan Kotowski at the Gwinnett Daily Post, saying, "I want kids away from controllers, cell phones, TV remotes. I want them to sit in conversation and use their imagination." Under her fun-loving guidance, people from all walks of life explore the art of painting and assemble themed projects using attic treasures, scrap metal, and other mixed media.

Hunter encourages self-expression during open studio sessions, weekly kids' classes, and group events such as birthday parties or girls' nights out. Hunter keeps works in progress on a brag wall, so-named for its incessant boasting about how it makes a perfect 90-degree angle with the floor.