Liam Beal’s door
Liam’s ‘Let’s Open the Door’ design brings feeling of home
When local artist Liam Beal heard about the opportunity to create a piece of art in partnership with Habitat Omaha and have it displayed in a different type of venue in town, he didn’t waste any time creating it – two days in fact.
To bring awareness to the worldwide housing crisis and to rally people everywhere to take action, Habitat for Humanity launched the “Let’s Open the Door” campaign in cities across the country and partnered with the art world. Habitat Omaha is one of those cities taking part in partnership with Lowe’s with Omaha’s event taking place on Saturday, July 25.
The “Let’s Open the Door” exhibit will feature 6 full-size doors. The artwork created by local artists (Liam, Ty Nared, Peyson Atwater, Frankie Zombie, Sheridan Shockey and Sami Wong) will be featured on one side. The other side of the door shares stories from Habitat Omaha connections as well as compelling statistics. Together, they weave a tapestry for what an open door truly means – in our community and everywhere.
“I love what Habitat for Humanity does,” Liam said. “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and Habitat actually makes that happen for families here in Omaha. When the opportunity came up to be part of this project, I was honestly just grateful. Getting to make art alongside people doing work that matters this much was an easy yes.”
Liam Beal
The focus on the project centers on why home matters and to Liam, Home is where his family is!
“It’s where I can unwind, be myself, feel safe, and have people over,” Liam said. “It’s not about the house itself, it’s that feeling of being somewhere that’s truly yours.”
It’s what Liam had in mind when he created his piece that will be outside of Lowe’s (7525 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68114) in late July. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It’s an idealist look at what I’d want my home to be,” Liam said. “Plants everywhere, records, books, my skateboards, art on the walls, and warm light coming down the hallway. I wanted anyone looking at it to feel like they’re being invited in.”
Liam works two jobs, True Construction and The Bay, so free time is rare, but he knew the artwork was something he needed to do!
“When the idea hit, I knew exactly what it needed to be, and I knocked the whole piece out in two days,” Liam said. “When something means this much to you, you find the time.”
And he’s excited for all of the public to see it!
“Most of my art lives in skate shops and galleries around Benson, so having a piece somewhere everyday people will walk past it is a whole different kind of cool.”