“Outside the Lines”

   We've known for a long time that art groups can do wonders for our clients. Something magical happens when you combine moving hands, creative minds, proximity and time. We call our art group “Outside the Lines,” and we are frequently surprised by how impactful the work done there can be!
   Clients enjoy Halloween, as do many Americans. It’s the second largest holiday in the USA, researchers say. We encourage our clients to have safe Halloween evenings by placing additional focus on Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, which is observed on Nov. 1 and 2. Last October, we showed our clients how to make ofrendas (home altars honoring deceased loved ones).
   Among the participants was a client we had newly met. We often talk with clients about the people who have gone before them, who have influenced their lives, and whom they miss — the saints in their lives, living, already passed or imaginary.
   Like parents of toddlers, we display all our clients’ artwork in a space that resembles a large refrigerator door. Eventually, that space has to be cleaned. We preserve most of the art digitally and eventually dispose of the originals.

   Clients can take their art, of course, but many choose to leave it as a gift to us. Volunteers frame some of our art, and it decorates our walls more permanently. We included a lot of the art in our recent move.
   Recently, that new client returned after being gone for a time and attended an art group meeting, where she recalled the ofrenda project and her art that was left unfinished. Amazingly, a staff member retrieved the incomplete project! It has not been lost or destroyed!
  The client was so happy. It was very meaningful to her. She picked up where she had left off and nearly completed the project. As she worked, she told us what she had been doing while away, and we learned from the conversation that she has been growing and healing!
  We love doing art groups in our new location, with its big windows, ample sunshine, newly organized space and more!