The Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (WCADAMHS) will host their recovery art show, “Resilience Through Art,”
May 15 and 16 at the Wood County Museum.
Debuting in 2023, this show acts as a creative outlet for people who have struggled with mental health and/or substance misuse. Participants are invited to submit artwork related to their own behavioral health recovery journey, as described on the art show’s webpage.
“Our stance has always been that these topics can feel very scary, and sometimes there are moments where they are,” said WCADAMHS Manager of Marketing and Communications Kaylee Smith. “But, these people are able to create such beautiful things that are representative of their journeys.”
For those wanting to create art for the event, Smith said that she hopes people view the experience as a way of feeling accepted.
“The biggest takeaway that I always hope people have is that they’re welcome here,” said Smith. “Their story deserves to be told and we’re so honored that we are the people that get to facilitate that. But, I always say that we just rent the room, and the rest is about the artists.”
With this being a vulnerable situation for participants, Smith ensured that making the artists feel comfortable and safe is a top priority.
“My responsibility has always been to wrap my arms around them and say, ‘Hey, you’re brilliant. We’re so honored to have you, how can we make this better for you?’” said Smith. “We’ve been blessed to be able to have one-on-one interactions with our artists.”
Though the art show has gained more artists since its start three years ago, Smith looks forward to the continuing growth of the event for years to come.
“The influx of artists that we have had has been so exciting,” said Smith. “In our first year, I think we had about 30 artists and about 60 pieces. Last year we had about 70 artists and just under 150 pieces. So it’s been growing, and I hope it continues to do so.”
Applications to submit artwork will be open until April 17. Anyone wanting to submit artwork after that date or has questions about their piece can contact Smith at [email protected].
For more information about the event, visit https://www.wcadamh.org/artshow.
