Expressions of Recovery art showcase at Great Lakes Mall
May 02, 2017 02:59PM ● By Today's Family
A mental illness or an addiction can have profound impacts on a person’s life. When the creative process is used to help someone define, cope with, and recover from such disorders, the results can be visually arresting, as well as deeply insightful.
Expressions of Recovery, a showcase of work created by area artists who have a brain disorder – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or clinical depression for instance – and/or an addiction disorder, will be on display throughout the month of May in the Dillard’s South Concourse at the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor. Many of the pieces in the show are offered for sale, with proceeds going directly to the artist.
This marks the twenty-sixth anniversary year of the show, which is free and open to the public. Expressions of Recovery is sponsored by the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board.
Heidi Sliter is an art therapist with Crossroads, an agency in the ADAMHS network that focuses on children, adolescents and families. She says the Expressions of Recovery show offers a unique perspective on the nature of brain disorders. “Art therapy can be an important part of someone’s recovery on a number of different levels,” she says. “Many use art to express their feelings about their illness, or make their illness more tangible. For others, the creative process itself provides some very therapeutic relief from the symptoms of the illness. So some of the pieces in this exhibit are fun or silly, some are touching, some even a bit disquieting. But collectively, this is a body of work that will definitely open people’s eyes.”
Expressions of Recovery is an important event that draws attention to mental illness and addiction disorders and to the importance of what the ADAMHS Board does.
“We hold this show in May to coincide with Mental Health Month,” says Lake County ADAMHS Executive Director Kim Fraser. “It’s an appropriate time to celebrate the benefits of art therapy, and to remind people of the important work that happens every day within our network.
Established by Ohio statute, the ADAMHS Board is responsible for planning, funding, monitoring, and evaluating Lake County’s mental health and recovery services.
More information is available at www.HelpThatWorks.us.
Expressions of Recovery, a showcase of work created by area artists who have a brain disorder – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or clinical depression for instance – and/or an addiction disorder, will be on display throughout the month of May in the Dillard’s South Concourse at the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor. Many of the pieces in the show are offered for sale, with proceeds going directly to the artist.
This marks the twenty-sixth anniversary year of the show, which is free and open to the public. Expressions of Recovery is sponsored by the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board.
Heidi Sliter is an art therapist with Crossroads, an agency in the ADAMHS network that focuses on children, adolescents and families. She says the Expressions of Recovery show offers a unique perspective on the nature of brain disorders. “Art therapy can be an important part of someone’s recovery on a number of different levels,” she says. “Many use art to express their feelings about their illness, or make their illness more tangible. For others, the creative process itself provides some very therapeutic relief from the symptoms of the illness. So some of the pieces in this exhibit are fun or silly, some are touching, some even a bit disquieting. But collectively, this is a body of work that will definitely open people’s eyes.”
Expressions of Recovery is an important event that draws attention to mental illness and addiction disorders and to the importance of what the ADAMHS Board does.
“We hold this show in May to coincide with Mental Health Month,” says Lake County ADAMHS Executive Director Kim Fraser. “It’s an appropriate time to celebrate the benefits of art therapy, and to remind people of the important work that happens every day within our network.
Established by Ohio statute, the ADAMHS Board is responsible for planning, funding, monitoring, and evaluating Lake County’s mental health and recovery services.
More information is available at www.HelpThatWorks.us.