A cat waiting for a home. A student with a sketchbook. One art project that’s making a difference beyond the classroom.
Paws and Portraits: Student Artists Help Adoptable Pets Shine
Students in Rebecca Van Horn Brown’s art classes at Nichols Junior High are using their creativity to help adoptable pets find forever homes. Through partnerships with The Cozy Catfe and the Arlington Animal Shelter, students created portraits of cats and dogs that are now displayed alongside the animals they represent, helping potential adopters connect with pets in need.
The idea grew from Van Horn Brown’s desire to connect her students with the community while showcasing their artistic talents.
“I’ve seen how talented my students are,” Van Horn Brown said. “I wanted other people to be able to view their work and celebrate them.”
A lifelong animal lover, Van Horn Brown reached out to the Arlington Cat Catfe, where she discovered another connection. The owner is a Nichols alumna and quickly embraced the partnership. The Catfe gives cats that need a home a place to live until they are adopted. Patrons enjoy a relaxing, therapeutic experience with the adoptable cats.
Nichols students created artwork that highlighted individual cats and was displayed in the Catfe. After seeing the project’s success, Van Horn Brown expanded it to include the Arlington Animal Shelter.
Portraits of cats to be adopted done by the students in Van Horn Brown’s art class.
Students were assigned individual animals through a classroom “reveal” that quickly became one of the most exciting parts of the project. Van Horn Brown intentionally selected animals that had spent the longest time waiting for adoption, helping students form an emotional connection to their subjects.
For eighth grader A’maya Sample, the project became an opportunity to use art to make a difference.
“What went through my head was that me making this art could help the cat get adopted,” Sample said.
Sample was assigned a cat named River and designed her artwork around the animal’s personality and favorite things. The opportunity to have artwork displayed publicly was a new experience for many students.
“It’s an honor,” Sample said. “Everybody can come in the cafe and see it, and I just feel like my art is very special.”
For student Terrelle Calhoun, seeing his artwork displayed outside of school was both surprising and motivating.
“I was pretty shocked because I never had my art displayed,” Calhoun said. “It’s a good experience and opportunity for other people to see your art.”
Calhoun believes experiences like this can have a lasting impact on students, especially those interested in future careers that value creativity and design. Another student, Lundyn Brown, discovered that the project challenged her to push through setbacks and trust her artistic process. Assigned a cat named Poppy, Brown initially struggled with the piece before finding confidence in the final product.
Smiling student who participated in Van Horn Brown’s Cat Catfe Project
“I had to do a lot of improvising,” Brown said. “But it came out better than I expected.”
Van Horn Brown said the project has done more than connect students with community partners. It has strengthened classroom culture, increased parent involvement, and given students a sense of ownership in their work.
One of her favorite moments has been updating students when their assigned animals find homes.
“They ask me almost every day, ‘Did my cat get adopted? Did my dog get adopted?’” Van Horn Brown said. “Hearing that ownership of their work has been really exciting.”
The project’s success has inspired plans for an annual partnership with both organizations and potentially other local businesses in the future.
For now, the artwork serves as a reminder that creativity can do more than fill a classroom wall. In Arlington, student artists are using their talents to support their community, celebrate animals in need, and help a few four-legged friends find their forever homes.