Artist crafting collage kits

As a former art therapist, Hannah Hunter wanted to find a way for kids to express their feelings during a stressful time. She found a solution in something she had used before — collages.

While she was an art therapist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in California, the Langley resident taught daily classes and reflected that the process of making collages seemed to be a favorite for the kids.

They took away the stress of having to draw or sculpt something, like in other forms of art.

“You don’t have to feel like you’re an artist,” Hunter said about making collages. “You have these beautiful pictures you can cut out.”

Though she retired from art therapy in 2015 and moved to Whidbey, Hunter has been working as a botanical print artist.

When COVID-19 hit, she offered 50 free collage-making kits to adults, which included photos, different kinds of paper and a glue stick. She decided to match that with 50 free kits for kids, which are currently available for pick-up on her front porch.

Hunter’s idea for staying busy during the stay-at-home order is titled the “Front Porch Project.”

To find images, she went through 15 years of magazines, and used everything from stickers to origami paper to postcards.

“I raided all of our house,” Hunter said with a laugh. “I even cut up my current year calendar for this.”

Hunter has 18 kits for kids left over. Every kit has pictures of animals and landscapes, but some are geared more towards boys with images of boys and some towards girls with images of girls.

All that’s required are the scissors.

• For people interested in picking up a collage kit for a kid, email her at hkhunterarts@gmail.com