From Darkness to Butterflies: Art and Healing at the Jacobi Center

At the Jacobi Center in Dundalk, Maryland, visitors entering the building are greeted by color.

Butterflies stretch across the walls of the lobby, then drift down the hallway past the kitchen and into the recreation room. The installation culminates in the children’s playroom, where the butterflies gather in a vibrant display of movement and light.

Hidden among them is something unexpected, a pterodactyl. It represents Jacobi Jones, flying among the butterflies, a young boy whose life was tragically lost during a domestic violence incident.

The installation was created by participants in the 2024–2025 RADIATE Women’s Leadership Program, part of the Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative (U2030). Working alongside the nonprofit Art with a Heart, the group designed and assembled the artwork during a site visit hosted by Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE).

Today, the installation is permanently housed in the TurnAround Jacobi Center, a resource center dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence.

The design itself tells a quiet story. The colors begin darker near the entrance and gradually brighten as the installation moves through the building—symbolizing the journey many survivors take from trauma and uncertainty toward healing and hope.

“It is truly stunning,” said Erin Liffiton, Director of Community Art and Service for Art with a Heart.

For the women who helped create it, the project became something far more meaningful than a leadership exercise. It became a contribution to a place where families are rebuilding their lives, a place where children play, where courage returns, and where healing begins.