DASH Art Group is a favorite among the kids. Every Tuesday night they get to unleash their creativity in a fun, safe environment.  The Art Group lead volunteers, Ann-Marie and Beth, come every week with a specific art project – we have done Andy Warhol drawings, impressionist still life collages and nature stamps. There is no coloring in the lines at DASH Art Group. At DASH we believe in the healing power of art, and every Tuesday night we get see the evidence as the kids express themselves with glitter, crayons and papier  maché.

Last week Art Group took on a new challenge, making Mother’s Day gifts. Over the course of three Tuesdays  the group made cards and then batiked and dyed scarves to give to their mothers on Sunday. Beth talks a little more about the details of the project, “What was more incredible about this whole process was not necessarily the intended designs, but the happy accidents that happened. Sometimes wax dripped in a spot where it was not wanted, sometimes there was too little wax applied, and other times we rubber banded the scarf and tie-dyed it just to see what would happen. All of these incidents helped to make every scarf we made a beautiful and unique gift for our DASH moms.”

The result was stunning! After three weeks of work, each child had a unique gift to give their mom on Mother’s Day. As Ann-Marie states, “the process of making the scarves was a lot of fun and very kid-friendly. We first dyed the scarves, and then used brushes, stamps, and various shapes dipped in wax to create the designs. The best part was that even if it got a little messy, every little drop of wax created something beautiful. ”

It should be noted that after the dying process, Ann-Marie and Beth stayed up until the sun came up washing and ironing the scarves and then sewed each swath of material to make the final product, infinity scarves. In the end, the children had the opportunity to create something beautiful and the mother’s got meaningful gifts. We are so thankful to Ann- Marie and Beth for their unwavering dedication and art genius!

If you would like to donate to DASH for our Mother’s Day Campaign – please Click Here.  All donations go to furthering the DASH mission to provide access to safe housing and services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms.

The Final Product!