THUNDER BAY — A new art exhibition at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery wants to challenge the stigma around substance use.
Breaking Through the Shadows: Voices of Change in the Community officially opened on Dec. 3 in the community room at the gallery and runs through Jan. 5.
The multi-disciplinary art exhibition features painting, storytelling, poetry and upcycling from several projects that are led by the Drug Awareness Committee and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
“We want to demonstrate how art can serve as a powerful tool for change, help to reduce stigma, encourage community engagement and support healing for those affected by substance use and drug poisoning,” said Stephanie Diebolt, who is the chair of the Drug Awareness Committee and a nurse on the substance use health team at the Health Unit.
“We’re using art to show the importance of public health concerns, such as the toxic drug supply and local overdose rates being three times high in the Thunder Bay district than the provincial average.”
Celine Mundinger, who is the founder of CreAction Collective and is a community artist, helped to facilitate the exhibition.
She said that it is important for people to see the exhibition so that they can relate and see that a person struggling with substance abuse is still a person.
“It’s very important to me that we use art as a healing tool,” Mundinger added.
“For me, art is a safe place where you can express emotions when it can sometimes be hard to do with just our words.”
Mundinger saw those reactions firsthand when the exhibition opened on Dec. 3.
“To be honest, it was a very emotional evening,” Mundinger said. “We’re lucky to have a few people that are sharing their stories for this project, so we had parents come in and talk and that resonated with a lot of people.
“It kind of created a sense of community where people can feel that they are safe and that they are being listened to, while also shining are light on things that usually are hidden and fostering a sense of community.”
Thunder Bay Art Gallery executive director Matthew Hills said that initiatives like these are important for the community.
“The gallery wants to be a venue for these things and especially for issues that resonate so profoundly,” Hills added. “We want to expand the conversation and expand the way of thinking and the responses to that in our community.
“To provide such a meaningful experience for the public was a great opportunity for us and something that the gallery would hope to continue to do in the future.”
Diebolt wants the public to know that there is a content warning on the topics that are shown, which includes substance use, overdose and submitted memorial photos or names that are on display from the overdose awareness event that was held earlier this year.
“During our opening night, you could see a lot of emotions because there are photos of people that may have said goodbye to, but there are also signs of hope as you can see people that are in recovery or are living a healthier life,” Diebolt added.
“It’s a very impactful project but we felt a lot of love and support in the room and this is a safe place to share some of those stories.”
The gallery is offering resources and support at their reception desk for anyone needing mental health support while viewing the exhibition.
The exhibit is free for the public to view. The Art Gallery’s hours of operation are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.