CANTON – Laura Hollis sat on the brick surface of Court Avenue near Sixth Street NW,  meticulously replacing a piece of yarn art covering a pole in the alley.

With her 9-year-old daughter Caroline Borell at her side, Hollis, a volunteer, smiled as she talked about the two-block yarn art display in downtown Canton titled, "Imagine the Possibilities Yarn Explosion."

Ten artists from the Just Imagine gallery created many of the colorful pieces decorating light poles and bicycles, as well as a sculpture, fence and brick columns. The artists have developmental disabilities.

Through their work and creativity, the section has been reborn with a rainbow of vivid colors and varied patterns. Yarn art stylizes Court Avenue from Fourth to Sixth Street NW, and is on display through September.

"I think it's worth checking out just because it's pretty," said Hollis, of North Canton. "It's whimsical and fun. There's the ladybug and the bicycles. They just tend to stop people in their tracks. They stop and they look and they go, 'Oh, 'That's a hat' or, 'What did they do to the bicycle?'"

Hollis is among the more than 30 volunteers who helped with the project, knitting pieces themselves and installing the artwork.

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"This was just fun and beautiful," she said. "We spent so many hours on it. I made friends doing it."

Just Imagine is an art program provided by The Workshops Inc. (TWi), a Canton-based nonprofit agency serving 400 adults with disabilities in Stark County. Rachel Doty, marketing manager at TWi, also credited the city of Canton for its support of the project, which was unveiled during July's First Friday celebration.

A public dedication ceremony took place, and Mayor Thomas Bernabei signed a proclamation.

Vicki Boatright, of Just Imagine, coordinated the yarn art endeavor. She's also a local artist who operates BZTAT Studios in downtown Canton.

Community volunteers taught some of the artists how to knit. Local art studios and art-related businesses also assisted with the project, Doty said.

"We're very proud of this," she said. "Our slogan (at TWi) is, 'Together we soar.'"

Neither the artists nor the volunteers could have done it alone, Doty said.

And the public is "unlikely to see something like this in other communities," she said. "It's unique and something Canton can be proud of."

Also known as urban or guerilla knitting, yarn bombing is a popular street art trend worldwide, Doty explained. Graffiti-style, unsanctioned yarn art has been removed in some cities, however, she said.

The artform, considered a way of reclaiming and beautifying public spaces such as benches and trees, began more than 10 years ago.

Around 400 individual hand-knitted pieces were incorporated into the exhibit, which took more than three months to plan, finish and install.

"Every time you come through here, you see something new," Doty said. "That is the beauty – every time you see (the artwork), you're going to see something different.

"Everyone who comes through here, this (display) means something different," she added.

The expression of art is a "unique representation of what can be achieved when individuals with developmental disabilities are included in all facets of our community," Doty said in a news release.

She added that "the exhibit recognizes the contributions individuals with developmental disabilities make to our community ... (while) celebrating the acceptance and inclusion they receive."

The project was inspired by one of the Just Imagine artists who is skilled at knitting, Doty said.

"She's known for her beautiful scarves, and when people come (to the gallery), they ask for her scarves," Doty said.

Artists from Just Imagine explained why they enjoyed knitting pieces and contributing to the art collaborative. Names of the artists interviewed for this article are not included at the request of their guardians.

Some Just Imagine artists were introduced to knitting for the first time. Others also paint, sculpt or make bracelets from rubber bands. 

"It just puts me in my own little world when I knit," one of the artists said.

"I was just so amazed by it," she said of Court Avenue. "Just coming down here and looking at it piece by little piece as the volunteers were putting it up."

Another Just Imagine artist compared the display to a rainbow.

"It makes me smile," she said. "It's really hard work to do this."

Another artist said those who worked together on the project are "one big family."

Doty agreed with the sentiment.

"It's definitely a family atmosphere here," she said of the artists at Just Imagine who create art pieces for sale at the gallery and gift shop at 201 Sixth St. NW.

"It certainly enriches their lives," Doty said. "So typical people and folks with disabilities are no different. Everyone has passions and goals and dreams, so our role is just to add that extra support they need to achieve their goals and passions."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter: @ebalintREP