About Us

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 We incorporated in September 2019 as a not-for-profit organization to provide a safe place where creatives of all abilities are encouraged to develop their full expressive potential through art.  We are working to facilitate local connections through guided art-as-therapy practices in a trauma-informed, group setting, to ultimately provide a creative, inclusive and therapeutic environment for our inner city community.

 In September 2020, we began offering Adult Mental Health First Aid USA, an 8 hour training certification program created by the National Council of Behavioral Health, that teaches members of the public how to help a person developing a mental health problem (including a substance use problem), experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. Click here to find out more about this innovative program.  

Dani is the Founder/CEO and Creative Director of the Unique Union, Inc., a local gathering place at the intersection of applied art, urban culture, mental wellness, and creative community in her native city, Washington, DC. As Creative Director, she is responsible for creating, overseeing, producing, and managing all of the nonprofit's creative endeavors-- relating to marketing, development, fundraising, workshop programming and facilitation. 

Dani has worked as a professional in the not-for-profit sector for over 5 years, after 12 full years of hospitality experience in the Washington, DC area, but Dani's passion for the Arts can be traced back to her years in Catholic grammar school, where she spent significant time working in advanced art classes, studying ballet/tap and honing her skills on the B-flat clarinet. Dani went on to pursue her Bachelors of Science degree in Photography at the Art Institute of Philadelphia in 2007. Today, as a Teaching Artist, she specializes in applied art and the facilitation of group craft activities (mostly virtual for now). Dani is also a Certified Mental Health First Aid USA Instructor through the National Council of Behavioral Health. 

Dani is setting a new standard for how to maintain emotional expression through classical art techniques in a communal setting. Her commitment to creative wellness is changing the way we practice self-care, connect with fellow creatives, and identify urban culture. 

Outside of the office, Dani enjoys creating digital illustrations with Autodesk Sketchbook, meditating, baking cookies with her kiddos who are 10 and 7 years old, or snuggling with her cat, Lady.