Community gathering

Presence · Proximity · Power · Purpose

Art holds what words can't. Community holds the rest.

The Holding Frames brings art-based healing gatherings to communities impacted by disaster, mass violence, and crisis — from Day 3 to Year 25.

Join the Movement Join our national volunteer network

Whether you lived it, love someone who did, or just want to show up — there's a place for you here. No art skills needed. No therapy. Just presence and possibility.

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Community workshop
Art materials
Group activity
Healing through art

Our Vision

Every community deserves access to healing — and the power to offer it forward.

In the aftermath of disaster, mass violence, or community tragedy, people need more than resources — they need connection, expression, and pathways back to hope.

The Holding Frames brings trauma-informed art gatherings and public installations to communities navigating grief — and then those communities send healing forward to others in crisis. That's the vision: a world where no one heals alone.

The Holding Frames — Stats Bar

280+

Communities Served

34

Countries Reached

59

Mass Violence Responses

10+

Years of Service

*Reflects our co-founders' combined experience in trauma-informed community healing. Learn their story →

Our Programs

04 Programs
People painting wooden frames together at a community healing gathering

01

Community Gatherings

You sit down at a table with people who get it. You pick up a brush. Nobody asks you to explain, to share, or to be strong. You just create something — and somehow, that's enough.

See what a gathering looks like →
Painted healing frames displayed in a community affected by crisis

02

Frame Forwards

The frame you paint doesn't stay on a shelf. It travels to another community in crisis — carrying a message only someone who's been there could send. Your pain becomes someone else's proof that they're not alone.

See how frames travel →
Community members reuniting at a long-term healing gathering

03

Long-Term Healing

Six months after the cameras leave, we're still there. A year later, we come back. Because healing doesn't follow a news cycle — and neither do we.

See why we stay →
Coming Soon

04

Holding Frame Kits

Everything you need to bring a healing gathering to your classroom, your workplace, or your living room. You don't need to be a therapist or an artist. You just need a table and a willingness to show up.

Get notified →
Our Approach

The FRAME Method

Finding Resilience After Major Events — four pathways to healing that guide everything we do.

01
F · R · A · M · E

Presence

Being present with communities in their pain, creating safe spaces for grief and expression without judgment.

02
F · R · A · M · E

Proximity

Connecting survivors with others who understand their experience, building networks of mutual support.

03
F · R · A · M · E

Power

Restoring agency through creative expression, helping survivors reclaim their narrative and voice.

04
F · R · A · M · E

Purpose

Transforming grief into action, channeling pain into community service and collective healing.

For Organizations

Bring the FRAME Method to your team. We offer trauma-informed training for first responders, schools, faith communities, and organizations serving survivors.

Learn More