Woman collects used Band-Aids for art

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ST. PAUL, Minn., April 13 (UPI) -- A Minnesota artist said she has been collecting used Band-Aids to use in her mandala wall hangings for about 10 years.

Beth Barron, who operates out of her Lowerton studio in St. Paul, said she prefers Band-Aids with traces of blood and other fluids remaining on them, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported Wednesday.

"I actually stop random people if I see a Band-Aid I want," Barron said. "I say, 'Can I have that?' They usually gave me strange looks. My kids had a really hard time with it."

Barron said her Band-Aid wall hangings, which take the form of circular mandalas, have been displayed at locations including the University of St. Thomas and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. She said the works represent sickness and healing.

"I am 55, no husband, and the kids are gone," Barron said. "Not everyone makes it, you know. I don't know what healing is anymore."