Transitions-Mental Health Association in partnership with the Healing Arts Council of Santa Barbara County presents the seventh Art of Recovery show. This art show features the expressions of people in recovery from mental illness. Art of Recovery will be held in Santa Maria during the month of May in support of Mental Health Awareness Month. The show will be open and free to the public.
The 2013 show will kick off with an opening reception on Wednesday, May 22nd from 4 – 6:30 p.m. at the Recovery Learning Center at Rancho Hermosa which is located at 235 E. Inger Drive, Santa Maria. The show will be open May 23rd-May 31st, Monday thru Friday, from 12 – 4 p.m.
Arthur Thompson Jr., an employee of Transitions, has been selected as the featured artist in 2013 and his impressionistic piece, The Lighthouse will be showcased in all promotions.
“When I heard about the Art of Recovery show, I was inspired to create a piece that symbolized my experience of recovery,” Thompson explained. “TMHA’s Life House (Wellness Center) has inspired me to focus on my mental health and has re-ignited the sparkle of life that I lost with my depression.”
Thompson has been sketching since he was 10 years old yet The Lighthouse is his first acrylic painting. “My father was a master oil painter. Growing up, I watched him work and even attempted a few times myself, but I just made a mess,” Thompson explained. “But when I enrolled in the art class at Life House, it sparked a fire inside me – now I paint every morning.”
Thompson particularly enjoys drawing personalized greeting cards and feels they help him communicate. “I like to thank people for what they have done and it can be a nice way to break the ice if I don’t know them well.”
The event was first developed in 1995 to offer people in mental health recovery a way to express themselves and to provide a venue to share art, feelings, thoughts and messages with the general public. The goal remains the same today. Transitions and the Healing Arts Council hope to help the community see that people should not be defined in terms of their illness but by their strengths, gifts, and by the contributions they make to society.
“Art can help you get through major tragedies in your life,” Thompson said. “I know for me, it was a gateway to start enjoying life again.”
Persons of all ages recovering from substance abuse and mental illness, and their family members are invited to submit work in any art form. This show features participating artists from Santa Maria, Lompoc, and San Luis Obispo. Submissions are made in many artistic mediums including jewelry, poems, music, stone, metal, clay, textiles, sketches, and paintings.
“You will be inspired by what you see and experience at the show and we invite you to support the individual artists by purchasing a treasure as a reminder of our talented neighbors,” said Frank Ricceri, associate director at Transitions – Northern Santa Barbara County.
For more information please visit the Transitions here.