Unique Union, Inc.'s #SelfCareSunday Craft Workshop

5001 Central Avenue Southeast,Washington DC 20019

15 January, 2023

Description

Our monthly themed #SelfCareSunday Craft Workshops are held in person to encourage a healthy mental relationship with self-expression and applied art in a safe and conscious environment. At Unique Union, Inc., we have always believed that self-care is a positive habit and we use DIY projects in our creative community as a way to "put in the work" that is needed to maintain our emotional well-being. Our workshops are held in the Marshall Heights community of Ward 7 SE, Washington, DC-- an area with a rich local history, at the Capitol View Neighborhood Library. This DC Public Library is only steps away from Benning Road Metrorail Station. January's theme is Self Care + Peace. This workshop is all about connecting with nature and bringing its elements into your everyday environment, improving your mood, and promoting creativity, while you enjoy making self-care a daily ritual with very little effort. We will show you how to make your very own cement dècor sculptures with basic items! Concrete is a material invented by the Romans. After the fall of the Roman empire, concrete was no longer used and came back in the 19th century with the invention of Portland cement in 1824. European artists began to employ it just before the 1st World War and then again in the early 1920s. They added stone dust to cement powder and mixing this with water, poured the mixture, which was described as ‘cast stone’ or ‘cement’, into “moulds”. The reason they turned to concrete is not known but it is most likely because it was freely available and inexpensive. The cement we use today consists of a binder and a filler which, when mixed together with water, hardens. The binder is gypsum, lime, or volcanic dust such as tufa and pumice, while the filler is a range of combinations, such as brick, ceramic, ground rock, or fine gravel. The quality of the mixture creates the texture of the concrete in the silicone mold, while its color can be changed by adding pigments or sanding to make a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. The first 5 tickets to our Craft Workshops are FREE. You can also join us with the "pay what you can" option (suggested $15 per craft item) -- to keep future #SelfCareSunday Craft Workshop attendance free of charge for local, underserved individuals on a journey to maintain their mental health through creative well-being. Save your space today! We follow all CDC and DCPL guidelines, including mask requirements and room ventilation. Craft instruction will begin at 1:45 pm. Visit UniqueUnion.org for more details or click HERE to donate.