ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Lehigh Valley health center is using art as a way of healing.
Pictures and paintings on the wall of Haven House in Allentown are being used to emphasize the therapeutic benefits of art, particularly for those who struggle with verbal communication.
Haven House, a non-profit offering mental health services in Allentown says the exhibition, titled "The Art of Coping," aims to reduce stigma by encouraging participants to discuss their diagnoses.
The show, displayed throughout the halls of the Union Boulevard location, features nearly 20 artists, including staff, addressing various mental health issues through diverse art forms.
The art show is private for now, but organizers say the Allentown Art Museum is interested in letting Haven House showcase its art there, possibly in their community room, next year.
'My paintings represent my feelings'
It's said art is in the eye of the beholder, but what if the artist is visually impaired? That’s the case for Ronnie Colbert of Allentown.
“I go by what I think, then I express that on a canvas in my paintings,” Colbert said while standing next to a colorfully painted piece of his own.
“Just because I have vision impairment doesn't mean, ‘oh, you can't. You got that you can't do art.’ Oh yes, I can."Ronnie Colbert, Allentown
“Just because I have vision impairment doesn't mean, ‘Oh, you can't, you got that you can't do art.’ Oh yes, I can. Oh yes, I can. I don't give up.
"I’m like, hey, despite this, I still can paint. I was still expressing myself through my paintings. There's something about art that makes me feel really good.”
Colbert explained that he doesn’t let an impairment stop him from creating, whether that impairment is visual or psychological.
“I struggle with severe depression," he said. "I started from severe PTSD, mood swings. They come and go unexpectedly. Panic attacks, and I have a panic attack, it wakes me up and I cannot go to sleep.”
Colbert's work is among others who are turning their mental anguish into art.
“When I do my abstract painting my paintings represent my feelings, what I feel,” he said.
'When you can't put things into words'
"We're teaching individuals how to be more independent and how to coexist with a mental health disorder," Haven House Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services Laura Keiderling said.
"So we want them to feel more confident within themselves and be able to thrive out in the community independently.
“Art can be useful in any way possible, but for the most part, when it comes to mental health, it allows them to feel comfortable within themselves.
"It allows them to be creative and express themselves in ways that they might not be able to verbally or physically do."
"For this particular show, I wanted them to dig deeper, and I almost be a little more vulnerable about it, and really get personal and talk about exactly what they're dealing with.”Haven House art therapist Cynthia Rodriguez
While some art hangs on the walls, other forms — a puppet show and poetry reading for instance — were presented at the show opening.
“It heals when you can't put things into words,” said Haven House art therapist Cynthia Rodriguez, the show's curator.
“Especially when people have trouble communicating it in a verbal way, doing it through art, whichever medium they choose, painting, sculpture, photography.
"It gives them different outlets to express themselves, and then you can use that in like a therapeutic session.
“I had the members create pieces having to do with their own, basically about their own diagnoses. I wanted to take it a step further than just talking about stigma, stigma, stigma, which a lot of times people do, which is great, you know, because there still is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health issues.
"But for this particular show, I wanted them to dig deeper, and almost be a little more vulnerable about it, and really get personal and talk about exactly what they're dealing with."
'Wow, I'm not alone'
Kim Hill, of Whitehall, an artist with work in the show, talked about her mental health issues.
“I got PTSD, major depression with explosive stuff like that, anxiety,” Hill said.
Her piece is a vibrant painting with horses pictured on the canvas.
“The piece I did was based on autism, because my son's autistic, non-verbal, and I just saw the horses, and it just drew me to color, to make them different colors," she said.
"And then do the background with different colors, or what the kids it's what he sees in his world."
Rodriguez said, “I feel like in mental health, a lot of people feel alone with their diagnosis.
"And when they put this out there, and then they see other pieces, you know, other versions of like, what people are going through about that particular issue.
"And they're like, Wow, I'm not alone, and they're dealing there. They feel the same way I do.'”
Hill added, “it kind of calms me down, especially when I'm having a bad day. It helps me out.”
'They understand it'
Another artist, Gary Rehrig of Allentown, said he has used the outlet of expression for years now.
“Art is a coping skill with me," Rehrig said. "I use that to cope. I tried different mediums, like I have watercolor pictures. I do self-portraits, landscapes — you name it, I’ve done it.”
Keiderling talked about using art therapy in their work with clients.
"I'm a knight. The sword is coping skills.”Artist Kim Hill of Whitehall
"We work on a lot of socialization, coping skills," she said. "We also offer things like anger management and emotional wellness.
"We do a lot of art, music, food, service-related activities. So anything and everything they would need to be independent, out in the community and being adult."
Rehrig said, “for the art show, I came up with a couple pictures that I thought were very interesting. One is a symbolism of depression. It's a dragon. It's symbolism.
"Like I said, I'm a knight. The sword is coping skills.”
Those coping skills are on display for everyone to see in a facility serving upwards of 5,000 people. Some may say it sounds scary, but the artists say it's healing.
“I only started art when I, when I started here, I used to do a little bit of art," Rehrig said. "But now I do a lot of art.”
Hill said, “it feels awesome to have everybody be able to look at it and see ... that they understand it."
