The artwork of Dana Abbey, a Herbert Hoover Middle School student who was recently named one of five Marisa Tufaro Memorial Arts Scholarship recipients, went viral and was featured in national online publications after her proud older sister, Jaylah, tweeted the 12-year-old’s drawings.

The scholarship entitles Dana and four of her peers to attend a weeklong art camp this summer at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum, where students of various ability levels will be afforded the opportunity to interact and study with some of New Jersey’s best teaching artists.

One of Jaylah’s tweets containing Dana’s artwork, which she called a representation of “how beautiful a black woman can be” in an interview with BET.com, has already generated more than 249,000 likes, 68,000 retweets and 965 comments.

https://twitter.com/_Halyaj/status/967668509663809536

In a separate interview with BuzzFeed.com, Dana said, “I like to draw people who are different with freckles and vitiligo – those people are not often seen and they need to be represented.”

One woman posted a response on social media to Dana’s artwork, relating how one portrait made a personal impact.

“My mom has lupus with lesions that mirror vitiligo on her face, scalp, ears, back, neck and arms,” the woman wrote. “I sent this to her to remind her that no matter the scars, she’s still beautiful. Thank you, Dana.”

“All types of beauty are special,” Dana told BET.com. “Sadly, today’s society is focused on seeing only one type of beautiful. In my opinion, all skin types, colors and sizes should be appreciated. I create my artwork to show how everything can be beautiful and to tell the world that everybody is different and unique at the same time.”

After her artwork went viral on social media, Dana, according to yahoo.com, created “her own Twitter account to communicate with fans of her art.” The yahoo.com article is entitled: “12-year-old inspires the internet to embrace ‘flaws’ with museum-worthy art.”

Dana’s artwork was also featured at HelloBeautiful.com, where the author wrote: “Seeing these different examples of beauty is exactly what young girls need — examples that show them that there is more than just one definitive way to see and appreciate what is beautiful. And the countless comments of people appreciating the work show that everyone can create impactful work, no matter their age.”

The Marisa Tufaro Memorial Arts Scholarship was made possible through donations to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation on behalf of a member of the Greater Middlesex Conference Baseball Coaches Association and others who wish to remain anonymous.

Marisa Tufaro died last year after complications from a heart transplant developed into a rare form of stage IV cancer, to which she succumbed following a valiant fight. Marisa Tufaro was born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries. Despite keeping hundreds of doctor’s appointments and being hospitalized for more than two years, Marisa Tufaro lived a vibrant life that inspired. Marisa Tufaro attended Herbert Hoover Middle School, which honored her last year during the school’s eighth-grade promotion ceremony.

The mission of the tax-exempt nonprofit foundation Marisa’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, established in her loving memory is to help children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

Wes Sherman, who holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and is a highly successful independent artist, heads the Zimmerli Museum’s Summer Art Camp faculty.

“During the hot days of summer, the Zimmerli is the place to be for budding young artists,” reads a statement on the Rutgers University website.

“Each year, new classes are added to stimulate, challenge and delight both veteran and newcomers who participate in the program. The Zimmerli continues to offer its popular classes in painting, drawing, pastels, watercolors, sculpture and an art ‘sampler’ class. Children also find inspiration in the museum’s collections as they explore the galleries.”

As a student at the Zimmerli in 2012, Marisa Tufaro was the recipient of an art scholarship for her achievement in camp and based on her potential.

The foundation established in her name is honored to have an opportunity to pay that kindness forward.