Among other services, Catholic Charities’ Branch III helps to meet clients’ basic needs: meals, hot showers and health services. Now it can add artistic expression to the list. 
Artist and former staff Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl (pictured to the right) and more than 80 Branch III guests recently completed a six-month collaborative mural on one wall of the drop-in center.
“Because this place did so much to create who I am, I wanted to give back,” said Cedarleaf Dahl, who is a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Cedarleaf Dahl volunteered her time twice a week and invited anyone present to join in whatever way they could. Clients helped at all stages of the art project, from brainstorming the subject matter to painting the finishing touches. The end product is a colorful rendition of a modern Last Supper. The mural includes portraits of clients and staff sharing coffee, soup and sandwiches around a table.
Cedarleaf Dahl was the kitchen coordinator at Branch III five years ago. “In the kitchen, I learned about needs in terms of food. But I also learned that there are needs that go beyond that — that’s where art comes in,” she said.
The mural not only brightened up the room where guests spend their time, it also brought out people’s talents and sparked interaction within the community. At the mural dedication March 8, clients who had worked on the mural had time to share their experiences.
One said, “I saw participants coming together and getting to know each other — all real people helping each other be good neighbors.”
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