The month of January tends to put health in sharper focus- that includes your mental health. People find healing in various ways and for some that’s through art. Happening in South Florida, there is a local exhibit showcasing untrained artists’ work as they heal through every stroke. NBC6’s Sheli Muñiz reports
The month of January tends to put health in sharper focus and that includes your mental health. People find healing in various ways and for some that’s through art. Happening in South Florida, there is a local exhibit showcasing untrained artists' work as they heal through every stroke.
Much like our minds, a canvas is formed by strokes of experiences. For Edward Narvaez, his journey consisted of peaks and valleys, one that included hospital stays, police run-ins, and alcohol abuse.
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WATCH HERE“It was a tool, right? It was a tool that served its purpose, but then took me over,” Ed Narvaez told NBC6.
Alcohol was Ed’s tool, but with work and therapy, he found healing- through creativity.
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“I'll sit down, even if it's going back with that something so like elementary and introductory, as far as just squiggling lines on a sheet of paper, if I'm doing it mindfully, four hours will pass, and I won't even know it, you know, it is a meditative process,” Ed said.
Art became a pivotal part of his healing process.
“The whole experience of creating and exhibiting and connecting with other people that appreciate their art makes them a very, a very valuable process in their lives,” said Silvia Quintana, CEO of the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, that has been working to destigmatize mental health for more than 10 years.
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The National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill (NAEMI) is partnering up with the Art and Culture Center Hollywood to showcase artist’s testaments of triumph.
“This exhibit, with National Art Exhibitions, is a great opportunity for all of us to see really, really great quality art from people that have been in this process of using art as their mechanism to help themselves, but also their artists,” she said.
The exhibit called In My Own World: The NAEMI Collection brings awareness to the issues of mental health to South Florida with works from more than 50 artists and will run through February 23rd.
Engaging with art, whether it’s creating it or observing it, has benefits that increase serotonin levels, stimulates the brain, fosters creativity. Ed now helps other artists paint their own path of a brighter future.
“People take care of yourself, whether it's art, whether it's meditation, going to church, working out, whatever it is, it's so important to have your own wellness plan and your own wellness tool built so whenever you hear, whenever you feel something, think something, you have something to fall back on,” Ed said.
In My Own World: The NAEMI Collection presentation runs until February 23rd at the Art and Culture Center Hollywood. This Saturday, January 25, there will be an opening reception from 5-8PM.
