Celebrating Healing in Arts!

Behind the Artwork

Healing in Arts

Though our creative roots started locally with a decade of ArtPrize experience, our art outreach has expanded from Grand Rapids to New York to Norfolk to Denver to San Francisco and beyond. With this expansion, we thought it was especially important to clarify what we do, since one of our own contractors—who works for us gratis—said, “I still don’t understand exactly what you do.” My response: “Umm, I think it’s time to clarify!”

For the last few months, Dr. Maria Fee, an artist and adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, has been helping to develop our nonprofit website that centers on art and healing. Defining, organizing, and communicating our mission has been a crazy amount of work. But Maria has wordsmithed every sentence with us. Her input has been amazing, and we’re so grateful for the end result. Here’s a small explanation that describes what we do:

Healing in Arts, our nonprofit organization, operates under New Horizons Foundation. Healing in Arts offers interactive and collaborative art opportunities for small groups and organizations. Through school workshops, community programs, and social justice art, we activate spaces where people become part of a healing canvas.

We would be remiss not to take this opportunity to thank the generous donors who sponsored this website expansion project. We are so grateful for and humbled by their support. But we also need you to join our team to enable us to cultivate our culture through interactive healing art. This therapeutic work touches children struggling with autism, teens coming out of sex trafficking, women growing in community, veterans struggling with PTSD, seniors adapting to change, and more. Be a part of our healing canvas. Support Healing in Arts now.

Children doing interactive art projects

Pamela has a very unique gift for connecting deeply with people through her artwork. There is something in her work that is deeply magnetic and brings out the vulnerability in all of us.

Randy, Healing in Arts supporter

Join Our Team!
We would be so grateful!

Igniting Courage

Behind the Artwork

Beauty - Part of the Courage Ablaze watercolor series

Jetta’s Story

One of my Congolese friends, whom I’ll call Jetta, is a true woman of courage. Her story, as well as the stories of several other refugees, inspired my work called Courage Ablaze. This vignette tells part of her amazing story of courage in the face of life-threatening situations:

Jetta and her children fled into Uganda as gunfire broke out near their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While trying to save the lives of her children, Jetta was separated from her husband for three years—not knowing if he had survived or died.

But as they fled, Jetta encountered soldiers from Rwanda raping the Congolese women. So Jetta took a detour. She put aside her own safety long enough to march into a commander’s office and give him this message: “Tell your soldiers to stop raping the women.”

Jetta’s story is an incredible story of courage. In the middle of war and chaos, she risked her life and her children’s safety because she cared about the abuse of other innocent women and children.

After meeting Jetta, I had to ask myself, “What would you do, Pamela? Would you care enough to risk your own safety to help others in need?”

Jetta’s courage brings to mind these ancient sacred words from the book of Proverbs: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” Jetta spoke up.

Jetta’s story inspired the Courage Ablaze exhibit.

Note: The name has been changed to protect identity.

Recovering from Sexual Abuse

Behind the Artwork

Wounded - Mixed media art and part of The Scarlet Cord installation

Tammy’s Story

Survivors often begin to experience healing when they finally acknowledge the sexual abuse. Over time, some even reach the point when they can let go of the guilt and shame. These first bold steps often end up sparking hope. This inspirational story occurred at The Scarlet Cord exhibit:

While I was raising awareness for sex trafficking at The Scarlet Cord, a young woman I call Tammy asked for one of the scarlet cords that we gave away to exhibit visitors. As I tied a cord on Tammy’s wrist, she burst into tears. The sexual abuse, she said, had lasted for years during her childhood.

“The shame and the guilt of your sexual abuse,” I said, “belongs to your perpetrators. The individuals who committed the crimes against you. The shame and the guilt doesn’t belong to you.”

Tammy’s perpetrator, a teacher, had told her that she had invited the abuse by being seductive. “His accusations are part of the abuse,” I explained. “Children don’t solicit sexual abuse; children are the victims.”

A month later, one of Tammy’s friends emailed me to thank me for reaching out to her. The friend wrote, “Ever since that night when we met at The Scarlet Cord, Tammy has been feeling encouraged.”

Tammy’s first bold steps for healing gave her a sense of new beginnings.

Find out more about The Scarlet Cord exhibit.

Note: The name and some details have been changed to protect identities.

Honoring a Local Hero

Behind the Artwork

Army Spc. Eric T. Burri’s Story

Pamela with Eric Burri's parents at the Hometown Hero unveilingDo life’s challenges make heroes or reveal heroes? Army Spc. Eric Burri was killed while serving in Iraq, but his parents, John and Joanne Burri, kept his memory alive by rallying an entire Midwest community to help Iraqi children. Eric’s life and his parents’ example of how to turn overwhelming grief into an opportunity to help others inspired my ArtPrize Top 20 work called Hometown Hero:

“Dad, I’m not afraid to die.”

Eric’s picture rests between two angel figurines. Another tiny photo of Eric with a small American flag hangs from the center of the kitchen curtain rod. His dad remembers when Eric announced with a smile, “Dad, I did it. I joined.” The next day he graduated from high school.

“The military taught Eric a lot,” said his dad. “Eric started understanding that life wasn’t just about him; it was about others too.” While deployed to Iraq, Eric noticed the Iraqi children who didn’t have shoes. He wrote home, “Mom, if I could, I would give them the shoes off my feet.”

His father continued, “In May of 2005, Eric came home for a short visit and took his sweetheart shopping to look at diamond rings. He only had five more months left to serve in Iraq. A few weeks later, on Tuesday, June 7, a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad and killed Eric.

“To honor Eric’s love for the Iraqi children, we collected thousands of shoes and sent them to Iraq,” said his dad as he wiped away a tear.

For Eric and his parents, life’s most difficult challenges revealed their heroism.

Eric’s story inspired the Hometown Hero exhibit.

Starting the Butterfly Effect

Behind the Artwork

Whitney’s Story

Pamela and WhitneyThe butterfly effect, an alternative scientific theory, challenges us to consider that every tiny action could have a large effect. The smallest deed or word–positive or negative–has the potential to change the course of an individual’s life. Whitney’s story demonstrates how to turn heartache into an opportunity for hope:

Whitney, a bullied Michigan teen, was voted onto the homecoming court—as a cruel prank. Responding to the negative butterfly effect, she said, “I feel like trash.” She even considered ending her life. But her sister convinced her to prove the other kids wrong. When local businesses heard about Whitney’s decision to go through with the homecoming, they donated a gown, shoes, and a makeover. She concluded, “I’m not the joke everyone thinks I am.” Whitney ended up transforming her community with the butterfly effect of courage.

Whitney’s story inspired the Broken Wings exhibit.

Letting Go

Behind the Artwork

Close-up of hand written Let Go statements

A Daughter’s Story

More than one hundred participants submitted “Let Go” sentences to be collaged onto my ArtPrize Nine painting. But one woman caught my attention when she wrote this statement: “Mom, I’m letting go of my expectations of what our relationship should look like. I forgive you for the pain you caused, and I release you from any responsibility to heal me.”

Her profound statement, “I release you from any responsibility to heal me,” compelled me to contact her to see if she would share more of her story. She agreed. The following vignette shows her progression from heartache to healing. The Let Go journey is always difficult but never impossible.

Mom,

You said I shouldn’t be affected by your decision to divorce my dad. What you didn’t realize was that you not only closed yourself off from Dad, but from me as well. When you shut yourself away in your room and told me not to bother you, I learned that I no longer had a mother to depend on; I had to fend for myself.

When I left for work one day, you changed the locks to prevent my dad from coming in. But you didn’t realize—you locked me out too. Over and over, you chose your “freedom” and your “own” path over me. Your choices cut a deep wound in my heart.

One day, I realized you would probably never apologize; I needed to forgive you, or my bitterness would end up consuming me. I had to accept you for being you, instead of wishing you were some other mom.

Mom, I’m letting go of my expectations of what our relationship should look like. I forgive you for the pain you caused, and I release you from any responsibility to heal me.

Love,
Your daughter

This is one of the stories that inspired the Let Go exhibit.

Note: Some details have been changed to protect identities.

Coloring with Kindness

Behind the Artwork

Teenagers tying ribbons on Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind at ArtPrize 2016

Nathan’s Story

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind shines a spotlight on bullying. The installation is specifically tailored toward middle school students—often the most vulnerable. Sadly, some of these students suffer so intensely from bullying that they believe suicide is the only way to end it all.

Our intentional kindness has the potential to brighten someone’s world. Maybe kindness, love, and understanding could have helped those who committed suicide because of bullying. Here’s how Nathan used his limited resources to color someone’s life with kindness and inspire hope:

D’Mario used the f-word and flipped me off a few times; he was the only kid in our sixth-grade class I tried to avoid. D’Mario was angry at everyone, but I was his target.

During basketball season, D’Mario and I ended up on the same team. He threatened, “You better quit, or I’ll hurt you.” D’Mario used sports to get his anger out; he used sports to control.

One day, the holes in D’Mario’s old Nike shoes gave me an idea. I made $2.50 a day walking a dog, so I started saving up. After two months, I bought a decent pair of Adidas shoes for 60 bucks. When I gave D’Mario the basketball shoes, his eyes got big.

That moment sparked something; D’Mario realized that I wasn’t out to get him. I showed him that I cared.

Once I got the courage to reach out to D’Mario, he realized that we weren’t competitors. I felt relieved. He started giving me compliments on the court; I gave him compliments back. By taking a risk and choosing kindness, my actions brought out D’Mario’s nice side.

Nathan, age 12

Nathan’s story inspired the Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind exhibit.