CUMMING — A local group is seeking donations to pay for paintings of the six historical courthouses of Forsyth County, including the new facility that is about to open next month in downtown Cumming.

The paintings will be done by artist Bryan White, who previously created the art in the Post Road Library and the Lanier Technical College Forsyth Conference Center.

“The committee commissioned Bryan White to create the six historical courthouses of Forsyth County,” said Carla Beasley, who chairs the courthouse art and décor committee.

The designs of some of the county’s early courthouses have been lost to history.

“Two or three of the first ones don’t actually have photographs our drawings of the actual courthouse, but we have textual descriptions of them,” she said. “From that text, [he] worked with the historical society to put together what would have been a very representative picture of the courthouse.”

The committee is looking for about $18,000 to fund to the paintings and framing. All donors will have their names on a plaque in the courthouse.

The art project will also display nine documents that form the basis of American government, but the cost for those has been covered through donations.

“The lobby is really very bare at this point,” Beasley said. “It has light color paint and some dark paneling, but the pictures and the documents will be very interesting for people to look at.”

Beasley said donations are sought to keep from going over the project’s budget, which coupled with the new jail across Maple Street and two parking decks, totals $100 million from the voter-approved 2011 extension of the 1-cent sales tax.

Questions can be directed to Beasley at (678) 492-3816 or carlafayebeasley@gmail.com.