Art Of Recovery Entry Deadline Is Aug. 15 | News, Sports, Jobs

Local artists are invited to submit entries by August 15 for the “Art of Recovery” exhibit planned by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County. Melita Lyon (left) and Carrie Clark look over art supplies as they prepare to create their works.

Sunday, August 15, is the deadline to submit entries for the “Art of Recovery” exhibit St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County are hosting on August 28 at St. Luke’s.

Local artists are invited to share how they celebrate their own creativity and recovery.

Work may include visual art, sculpture, photography, painting, or fiber art.

Planners are using three ancient Hebrew words as prompts to spark the imagination and asking participants to consider which word or words reflect what recovery means to them:

¯ YHWH – The name of God in Hebrew. Those who follow the rabbinic traditions do not pronounce or read aloud this name, recognizing the ways in which God’s essence is mysterious and unnamable.

¯ Kavod – Typically translated as “glory.” However, this word also has connotations of gravity/heaviness and abundance. What might it mean that God’s glory also implies gravity and abundance?

¯ Hesed – Traditionally translated as “loving kindness,” it can also mean “goodness” or “mercy.” This word usually refers to God’s relationship towards people.

The Art of Recovery event developed while St. Luke’s and the Mental Health Association were preparing to observe their second annual Recovery Sunday on August 29. Because art and spirituality can go hand-in-hand — as both create space for transcendence, creativity, self-reflection, and community building — it seemed appropriate to add an art exhibit to the weekend’s events.

For more information or to submit your work by the Aug. 15 deadline, contact Jessica Frederick at St. Luke’s at [email protected] or Sean Jones at the Mental Health Association at [email protected].

With programs in both Jamestown and Dunkirk, the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County is a peer recovery center offering support groups and individual coaching for people looking to improve their lives, deepen wellness, thrive in recovery, or support those on a recovery path. Peers use their personal stories to help people find recovery in their own lives in their own way.

All Mental Health Association services are free.

To learn more about the Mental Health Association, call 661-9044 or visit MHAChautauqua.org or Facebook.com/MHAChautauqua.