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Where Art and Learning Converge

At the Hudgens Center we are working hard to connect Gwinnett through the language of art. Join us today for hours of art-gazing, wonder-making inspiration — right in your neighborhood!

Summer Camp

Register for weekly programs designed to inspire and delight toddlers, children, and teens. Each week explores the different elements of art and principles of design, with classes to paint, print, draw, sculpt, sew, throw, hammer, carve and glue. Classes are divided into age groups and focus on appropriate techniques.

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Classes

We offer hands-on, imagination-driven classes for adults and kids. Choose from pottery, painting, drawing, and hand-crafted goods for gifting today.

Rental Spaces

Adding creative flair to weddings, birthday parties, and corporate events, our stunning facility offers three unique spaces for rent. All rentals include private gallery access, convenient parking and accessible entryways, as well as tables, chairs, linens and access to our fully-equipped catering kitchen. We also have a comfortable bridal dressing area for your convenience. For coordinating rentals with the Infinite Energy Center, please contact:

Maurice Odoms, Explore Gwinnett Senior Group Sales Manager at maurice@exploregwinnett.org

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Get Involved

Exhibits, classes, events and special programs at the Hudgens Center for Art & Learning are made possible by neighbors like you. When you buy a membership, you get so much more than special rates and fun extras — you’re investing in the power of imagination and artistic expression. Become a Hudgens Member today!

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Magnolia Media Group

Marketing

Damien Harrison

Bookkeeper

Kate Driscoll

Gift Shop Coordinator

In her role as Gift Shop Coordinator, Kate Driscoll is responsible for managing the Gift Shop at the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, ensuring that The Hudgens Gift Shop showcases the abundance of talent here in Georgia and provides visitors functional and decorative handcrafted pieces.

Kate holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Georgia State University. Before joining the Hudgens’ team, she worked as a Weekend Administrator and Special Event Staff at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia for five years.

In her spare time she enjoys drawing, reading science fiction, and trail running with her partner and their dog, Scout.

Kate feels lucky to be a part of The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning because of its commitment to deliver the arts to the surrounding community.

Tyler Nicholson

Ceramics Studio Manager

tnicholson@TheHudgens.org | 770.623.6002 Ext. 209

Tyler Nicholson hails from the small agrarian town of Blythe, California. Raised on a farm, Nicholson spent his formative years learning the fine arts of shade-tree mechanics and relying on his imagination for entertainment. At the age of 18 in July 2001, he enlisted in the US Army as an Artilleryman. During his enlistment, he obtained the rank of Sergeant and is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

Nicholson’s body of work focuses on subverting the heroic and often mythic portrayals of a soldier’s life by reimagining the monument and military themed childhood toy. Instead of the heroic portrayals of combat or sacrifice, his work concentrates on the more mundane aspects of military service—the hurry up and wait, the lull between action, the time for introspection.

He received his Associates of Art from Gulf Coast State College, a Bachelor of Fine Art in Studio Arts from the University of West Florida, and a Master of Fine Art in Ceramics/Studio Art at Georgia State University. Currently, Nicholson is the Ceramic Studio Manager at The Hudgens Center in Duluth, GA and Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University.

Connie Norman

Director of Education

cnorman@TheHudgens.org | 770.623.6002 Ext. 211

Connie Norman, Director of Education and Outreach, is originally from Pennsylvania. She graduated from Salem College in West Virginia with an Associate of Arts Degree in Heritage Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Art.

Connie is responsible for classes, workshops, summer camps and outreach programs. She also enjoys feeding the fish and watching over the nesting geese around the Hudgens’ campus.

Outside of work, she takes pleasure in reading, photography, pottery, and going for walks.

As Director of Education and Outreach, nothing is more rewarding than the students who come up to her and tell her that her class time is the two hours per week that they look forward to the most.

Ife Williams

Executive Director

iwilliams@TheHudgens.org | 770.623.6002 Ext. 201

In her capacity as Executive Director of the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts, Ife is responsible for the leadership and vision of the Hudgens Center and serves as the face of the organization. Her professional experience includes the roles of museum curator at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens (Miami); development consultant at the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (Miami); assistant collections registrar for the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington (Seattle); and most recently Program Development Specialist at Fulton County Arts and Culture (Atlanta).

Ife holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture/Metalsmithing from the University of Michigan. She also pursued a Master’s degree in Museum Studies at Syracuse University, and received a certificate of nonprofit organizational management from the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

Outside of work she enjoys pursuing creative endeavors in clay, stone and paper; baking, hiking and rock climbing with her children; and exploring the rich array of arts and cultural activities available in our community.

Ife loves working at the Hudgens because she believes everyone should have art in their day-to-day life and being a part of this team allows her to have a hand in making that happen within her own community. She was a student at the Hudgens Center before she became a member of the staff and she continues to believe that the learning experiences available here are among the best in our region.