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This article is part of our Summer 2021 Breaking Barriers. This installment focuses the arts and disability. If you'd like to read more stories from this issue, please subscribe to Breaking Barriers

The Brothers and Sisters Homes in Holland, MI, provide caring, supportive, community-oriented, spiritually nourishing homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rose Redmond, the activity coordinator for Holland Deacons’ Conference drop-in program, said residents have opportunities to do art on a daily basis. With permission, she shared these contributions from the artists. 

Caroline Carter’s favorite activities are drawing and coloring. She loves to give her art to everyone she meets. One can’t help but smile at her whimsical flowers and bright colors.

Doug Kloosterman’s hand is one of the first up when asked, “Who wants to do art?” Doug enjoyed using an unusual tool—a plastic fork—to paint this spring garden.

Pat Oetman was with a group that saw birds on the water, and she thought they might be loons. Later Pat asked Nancy Rosie (who comes up with art ideas) if she would help her make a loon picture, and this is what they came up with.

Katie Raak loves art and works on a project almost every day. She said that this tulip garden was made using flattened toilet paper tubes dipped in paint for the colorful petals.

Laurie Slag has a great enthusiasm for art and is willing to try any new project. Here she arranged a mosaic of geometric shapes in many colors.

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