Hi, I’m Alison Davis-Holland, aka the Mending Mama, the DMV-based Founder of Art on the Mend, an initiative that empowers people to embrace creativity, repair, and connection through community visible mending circles. I serve as the Lead Mend-tor (a mentor in mending) facilitating our welcoming mending circles with the help of a team of skilled volunteer Mend-tors.
I’m a DC- and Virginia-raised artist and lifelong explorer of creative practices—from drawing and painting to textile art and metal sculpture. I’m passionate about creating safe, welcoming spaces where people feel seen and supported. My background includes training in mindfulness, youth mental health support, inclusion, and trusted communication.
I’m also an approved volunteer with Arlington County Public Library, Arlington County Parks and Recreation, Arlington County Public Schools, and Affordable Homes and Communities.
Since launching in June 2025, Art on the Mend has grown into a community-driven volunteer network partnering with libraries, universities, museums, and other organizations across the DMV to bring hands-on mending programs directly to the public.
We have partnered with hosting organizations to bring 55 mending circles to 600 participants. Our hosting partners include Affordable Homes and Communities, Arlington Public Library, ArlingtonWeaves Etc., George Mason University’s Mason Exhibitions, The George Washington University Textile Museum, GWU’s Art as Activism course in the Women’s Leadership Program, and GWU’s The Loop.
Why Art on the Mend Exists
Art on the Mend was born out of lived experience.
Across different seasons of my life—as a child, parent, patient, and professional—I’ve experienced isolation, including chronic illness, a life-threatening diagnosis, a tech career that limited human connection, and being immunocompromised during a global pandemic.
Each of these moments led me to seek—and create—more meaningful ways to connect.
Through mending and creating in community, I rediscovered how simple creative practices can repair more than objects—they can restore our sense of belonging and collective purpose. This work matters because it creates accessible, welcoming spaces where people can reconnect, be seen, and renew themselves and their belongings together.
Art on the Mend is powered by volunteers—our Mend-tors—and the shared belief that connection and inclusion can create real change.
I’d love for you to join us.
Art on the Mend 