Mohawk Group & ArtLifting to Launch Two Spring Collections

Mohawk Group announces two spring featured collections in collaboration with ArtLifting, a platform that benefits artists living with disabilities and housing insecurity

DALTON, Ga. April 29, 2022 — Mohawk Group is proud to launch two collections this spring at national tradeshowsHD Expo and NeoCon in collaboration with ArtLifting: Painted Perspectivesand Social Canvas.

Mohawk is committed to building and serving community through human-centered design, equity, and social enterprise. Human-centered design considers all humans, including those at the sidelines, to create a better world and enhance the quality of lifefor everyone. As part of our Better Together initiative, we are partnering with ArtLifting to champion artists who are impacted by housing insecurity or disabilities. ArtLifting provides a platform and creates opportunities for these underrepresented artists to amplify their voices and participate in the contemporary art market.

Together, Mohawk Group is empowering six artists through a collaboration to create carpet and flooring collections to be manufactured and sold by Mohawk Group. Each artist is valuedto participate, respected for their diversity, and compensated for the use of their work, as well as support of the organization’s mission. ArtLifting’s co-founder and CEO Liz Powers says “My goal is to make their invisible talents visible and by doing so, change stereotypes. Instead of defining people by their circumstance, we should define them by their talent.”

The first of the two collections, Painted Perspectives, expresses the inclusive power of art and its ability to create communities. Durkan, the hospitality brand of Mohawk Group, brings together divergent artistic styles, putting them in conversation and celebrating the beauty that emerges from a shared practice of visual arts.The soft surface collection developed from the work of two artists, Alicia Sterling Beach and Scott Benner, both of whom are part of the ArtLifting community.

Designers from Mohawk Group’s in-house studio were inspired by the work of Beach and Benner and created carpet patterns that integrated layers, textures, and techniques from the artists. Drawing on Beach’s work, styles express a sense of fluidity, the soft play of light on elements in nature, and a striking mix of color. From Benner’s work comes a sense of drama and structure built up from crisp detail, and an interplay of nature and geometry. Certain styles put one artist’s work in greater focus, while other styles fully unite them into one multi-faceted aesthetic. Designers can deploy the styles across different spaces to compose unique stories for their interiors.

Mohawk Group’s Social Canvas collection speaks to the triumph of the human spirit. As we come into the world, we are each given a canvas, ready to be painted with our own story. These canvases are not necessarily blank, and often bring affordances or limitations, depending on our personal and social circumstances. Even still, it is up to us what we do with our canvas. We each have the agency to thrive when society is equitable and inclusive.

Social Canvas conveys the expression and poignancy of Charlie French’s abstract painterly style, depicted in multiple styles, each viewed as a different canvas. The styles in this collection span chunky and smooth textures, colorful brushwork, and have a refined palette. Social Canvas serves as a focal point, or artisticaccent, to bring the warmth of the human spirit into spaces for all to feel welcome and supported.

Visibility is a key component of designing for equity, diversity, and social impact. All people want to be seen, heard, respected, and valued. Design can raise awareness and provide social agency to marginalized people, who are often left out of the process.

Mohawk Group seeks to make their values visible through the inclusion of these visual artists and share their work in the broad context of interior design and the built environment. By creating this partnership, they hope to provide deeper purpose of design through art, emotional connection, and action. By choosing to design for the greater good, Mohawk works with the greater community toeliminate barriers and create positive social change all. This is but one step in moving forward on a path towards a fair and just world.

Experience these products in person this spring. Painted Perspectives appearedat HD Expo on April 26-28, booth #4308. Social Canvas will appear at NeoConin showroom #377 along with Painted Perspectives on June13-15.