Pouches with Purpose

Art has the power to transform, and when students become involved in important art-based service projects, they realize that their talents and efforts can play a positive role in helping their community. That’s why we provide exciting and rewarding service opportunities for our junior art honor societies’ members.

An Uplifting Idea
After a challenging year outside the classroom due to the pandemic, we were eager to get back to work with our honor societies. Luckily, over the summer, I stumbled upon a resource on the internet where small pouches of essential items were being donated to chemotherapy patients at a local hospital to help them through a difficult time.

The pouches I came across were unadorned, but the idea struck me that our members could cover those pouches with beautiful and uplifting graphics and fill them with essential items for patients, transforming them from a utilitarian carryall to a beautiful keepsake. We would then donate them to our local hospital.

Gathering Materials
After one of the advisors made contact with our local hospital, our next step was to procure the plain canvas pouches. Luckily, we were able to find some, sized approximately 9 x 6" (23 x 15 cm), on a popular art supplies website for a very reasonable price. After some research, we found a quality brand of fabric markers that work well on the canvas material. They come in bright, vibrant colors that show up nicely on the canvas surface.

Positive Messages
We were ready to introduce the project to our young artists. The only creative restriction we gave them was to make sure the messages and the graphics were uplifting and positive. They were excited and welcomed the creative freedom and the wonderful opportunity to give back to their community.

Students started by creating a rough draft of their design on paper for the advisor’s approval. Many students included a positive quote or saying on one side of the pouch in addition to the inspiring images.

Once the designs were approved, each student received a kit in a zip-top bag that contained a canvas pouch, a fabric marker set, and a scrap piece of canvas. We gave them the option of lightly sketching their design onto the pouch or using graphite paper to transfer their design from their rough sketch to the pouch.

Working with Fabric Markers
Once students had placed their sketch on their pouch, they began rendering. Since fabric markers were a new medium for most of them, the scrap piece of canvas enabled them to practice blending and other techniques. Many also added acrylic paint and used brushes to enhance their design. They enjoyed the bright, blendable colors of the fabric markers, and the opportunity to work with a new medium and a new surface was both exciting and challenging for them.

The Power of Donation
While students were completing their design work, they were provided with a suggested list of items to be donated, which included such things as lip balm, small coloring books, travel-sized games, slippers or fuzzy socks, chewing gum, hats, and nutrition shakes. Students were asked to bring these items into class and fill their finished pouches with them.

Community Engagement
More than fifty pouches were created, all with beautifully rendered graphics and packed with goodies—and all sure to make their recipients happy. They were dropped off at the local hospital, and it wasn’t very long before the responses started to come in. The hospital maintains an active social media page, and images of the pouches were featured along with many complimentary comments and thank-yous. All our students were excited and thrilled to know that their hard work and talent were greatly appreciated, and that these small pouches would make their recipients’ difficult journey a little easier.