A Community Place-Making Partnership with Domestic Abuse Project (DAP), cultivated an opportunity for Interactive Public Art using Creative Technology. Project Director, Paige Dansinger, with Artists Hattie Ball and Seth Gibson, transformed over 65 drawings of Purple Flowers created on iPads with survivors of domestic violence.

You may participate too! Follow @artpurpleflower on Instagram & Twitter. You may also draw a Purple Flower and share it online by tagging your uploaded image with #purpleflowersurvivors. Download a free (IOS) drawing app by Appikiko.

Purple Flowers Video

An Interactive Digital Film employs social fundraising. The accompanying 3D Virtual Reality Empathy Experience offers an additional intimate immersive opportunity. Public donations to DAP will generate a digital bee to pollinate the flower-patch with facts and statistics to raise awareness, education and empathy.

This project was funded by Hennepin Theatre Trust, Partners in Public Spaces, and Southwest Airline's Heart of the Community Program. Learn more about the Artist's Creative Collaborations.

#VR Empathy Experience

Watch on Youtube in 360 degrees, or use a Google Cardboard VR Headset for an immersive empathy experience.

#dvfacts for DAP Website & Social Media

Photos from Public Art Opening

Creative Concept

A purple ribbon is the only national symbol for survivors of domestic abuse. Offering participants an opportunity to drawing a purple flower creates visual identity and unity. Purple flowers drawn on iPads by survivors of domestic abuse will be turned into a blossoming field of flowers projected on a 70" video screen along side a street vendor tent, or table, with DAP info. The video will also include messages and statistics about domestic abuse. The video and description of the Purple Flower Project will be added to the DAP's website on the donation page. Each donation is acknowledged with a different #dvfact and one of the flowers created by the clients at DAP.

The public is also able to experience the purple flowers in Virtual Reality Empathy Experience! An immersive journey through a purple flower world, and softly falling pollen, initiate empathy building by creating a safe-space. Google Cardboard VR headsets (donated by Northern Spark) will be available for the public to use during the launch at the "Purple Flower" street vendor tent. Intagram and Twitter accounts @artpurpleflower will help create community and global support by contributions, personal stories, and drawings #purpleflowersurvivors

Community Partners

Domestic Abuse Project, (DAP) is amazing to work with! The staff and survivors have been welcoming and kind people! As a survivor, I am honored to have this opportunity to work with them. The project stipulated that I was to meet twice with them, however we have met about 10 times and draw almost every week together. The staff downloaded drawing software so that they may draw with clients when I'm not there or at other safe-house sites.

Joan Vorderbruggen & team from HTT, with Elke and Cynthia from Partners in Public Spaces. — Joan Vorderbruggen & team from HTT, with Elke and Cynthia from Partners in Public Spaces.

Joan Vorderbruggen and the team at Hennepin Theatre Trust are the magic behind the WeDo Cultural Corridor along Hennepin Ave in Downtown Minneapolis. This #5to10 Project is funded by Partners in Public Spaces, and Southwest Airlines. Artists, Hattie Ball and Seth Gibson, and I, formed a group called Techtopian Creative. We have created a few projects now together, and each time we find news ways of working, listening and, communicating together. We will continue to work together and support each other's individual projects.