YOUR COMMUNITY DOESN'T HAVE TO carry this alone
A Holding Frames gathering is a structured space where people come together — to paint frames, write messages, and make what they're carrying visible. No art experience required. No clinical setting. Just people, together, creating something that says: we were here, and we held each other.
We bring everything — materials, trained facilitators, and all the logistics. You bring your community. Gatherings are provided at no cost to communities navigating disaster, mass violence, or crisis.
Our gatherings average around 300 participants and scale to fit what your community needs — from intimate groups of 30 to events with over 1,000. We'll work with you to design something that fits where you are right now.
Request Received
We'll be in touch within 24 hours. If your need is urgent, reach us directly at (407) 968-4359.
Each gathering runs 1–3 hours and is designed around where your community is. There's no prescribed outcome, no performance expected. The process itself is the point.
Arrive & Settle
Participants enter a prepared space with materials, music, and a welcoming team. No announcement at the door of what this is "supposed to" feel like. Just an invitation to sit down, pick up a brush, and be present.
Paint & Write
People paint wooden frames and write messages — for their own community, for another community navigating crisis, or for themselves. Making something with your hands opens conversations that words alone don't reach.
Share & Send
Finished frames are displayed together as a collective installation — a visible record that people showed up for each other. Some stay. Others become Frame Forwards, traveling to communities in their hardest moments.
We partner with whoever is closest to the community and the crisis. If your people are carrying something heavy and you want to create a space to set some of it down together — that's enough of a reason to reach out.
We Provide
All art materials — frames, paint, brushes, markers, and protective supplies
Trained, trauma-informed facilitators who know how to hold this kind of space
Full setup, facilitation, and cleanup — we handle the logistics so you can focus on your community
Frame Forward coordination — shipping completed frames to communities navigating their own crisis
Post-gathering documentation and follow-up connection — this isn't a one-time visit
You Provide
A venue — indoor or outdoor, with tables and chairs for participants
Your community — invite neighbors, congregation members, students, survivors, responders, families
A local point person we can plan with in the weeks leading up to the gathering
Whatever else makes your community feel at home — food, music, familiar faces
Hosting a gathering means entering a relationship — not booking a vendor. Here's what that actually looks like on our end.
A Real Conversation First
Before anything is scheduled, we talk. We want to understand what your community is navigating, what you've already tried, and what this gathering should feel like for the people who show up.
Custom Design, Not a Template
No two gatherings are the same because no two communities are the same. We'll work with you on timing, format, size, and whatever specific needs your community has — including urgent timelines.
We Don't Disappear After
The gathering is the beginning. We follow up, document what was created, coordinate where frames travel next, and stay connected to communities long after the initial response has moved on.
Fill out the form above and we'll reach out within 24 hours to start a conversation. Urgent requests can reach us directly at (407) 968-4359.
Request a GatheringAre You Here on Behalf of a Company?
This page is designed for communities navigating crisis. If you're looking to engage your team through a workplace training or build a longer-term partnership with THF, we have dedicated pages for both.