36 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 

W 

 
hen local artist Gail 
Rosenbloom Kaplan’s 
community and person-to-person 
professional immersion came to a 
halt because of COVID-19 restric-
tions, her talent and innovation 
aimed her in a new direction. She 
turned her focus to the 
creation and sales of 
multi-colored, multi-de-
sign, Do-It-Yourself 
(DIY) sand art sets.
“The kits came to 
life as a result of the 
pandemic and not being 
able to continue my job 
at Children’s Hospital 
of Michigan, where I 
do bedside art and also 
my work in the schools, 
camps and the com-
munity,
” Kaplan said. “I 
retreated to my studio 
to develop the new kits 
as a way to stay engaged 
with bringing art to 

people to do on their own.
”
The boxed-set selections are 
offered in various shapes and sizes 
for both kids and adults — from 
superheroes, astronauts and butter-
flies to Judaic themes like a set of 
chamsahs and Chanukah designs, 
including a pair of 3D dreidels.
Each kit has 10 colors of sand and 
a sticky board with a laser-cut image 
covered with removable stickers. As 
each sticker is removed, the sand 
sprinkled on it will stick only to that 
section. Excess sand is then poured 
back into a working-cup and the 
board is ready for the next section. 
“
A sticker on the outside of the pack-
aging is an example of the final art 
project,
” Kaplan said. “By choosing 
their own color application, no two 
projects are the same.
”
Referring to Kaplan as both tal-
ented and creative, Jodie Krasnick of 
Huntington Woods said, “It’s great 
to carve out some relaxing time to 
do Gail’s sand art projects and so 
fun to see the final product. My kids 

(now 19, 24 and 26) have done art 
projects with Gail since they were 
little at family workshops, for Jewish 
holidays and yad-making for their 
bar and bat mitzvahs.
”

ARTIST IN THE BLUE SMOCK
Kaplan began designing sand art 
projects for her children 35 years 
ago and, in recent years, brought 
her ideas to workshops, corporate 
events, fundraisers and other large 
gatherings. But the idea for selling 
the DIY kits came when she realized 
this was a type of art that could 
be done in small groups without 
her being present, offering sim-
ple, YouTube instructional video 
demonstrations for each new kit on 
her website. 
For the past nine years, she also 
brought the project to Children’s 
Hospital of Michigan, working there 
twice a week — with patients and 
their siblings — through a grant 
for healing arts from the Children’s 
Foundation. 
“
As ‘artist in residence’ I had the 
opportunity to educate and engage 
patients by teaching them how to 
make art, exposing them to new 
artistic techniques,
” Kaplan said. In a 
small studio at the hospital, children 
joined her to paint T-shirts and do 
sand art, something she described 
as calming, healing, distracting and 
empowering for the kids.

Pandemic challenges result in fun DIY 
art options and gift items.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Sands of a 

 
 New Time

ABOVE: Gail Rosenbloom 

Kaplan TOP LEFT: Multi-

colored DIY sand art elephant. 

TOP RIGHT: DIY sand art 

unicorn.

ARTS&LIFE
DIY