Hope, holidays and healing

A lovely montage of holiday cards offered this year through Art Awakenings in Arizona

I’ve always had a hard time finding holiday cards since I tend to favor the “happy everything” approach this time of year, but “Moon Over Trees,” an abstract work created by an artist working with Art Awakenings, is right up my alley. It’s one of five options, chosen from 35 submissions, available through Art Awakenings this holiday season.

Art Awakenings is a program of PSA Behavioral Health Agency, which helps youth and adults living with mental illness enjoy social supports while developing professional art skills. Folks can experience works by program participants at various galleries and art walks throughout Arizona.

These art walks include First Fridays in Phoenix, Art in the Alley in Casa Grande, First Saturdays in Tucson and Bisbee After 5 (in Bisbee, of course). If it’s holiday cards you seek, hit one of their five galleries or order online. Folks ordering more than 100 cards can ask about options for personalizing those babies.

There’s a nifty order form complete with larger images of the five works selected for Art Awakenings holiday cards this year. “Celebrate” features animals gathered near a Christmas tree, while “Celebration” shows desert animals in a decorated desert landscape.

“Happy Holidays” features a tradition feel, with trees and snowflakes dotting a lovely mountainscape. A final selection has a comedic vibe — with before and after takes on a horse who stumbles on a box of “X-Mas Stuff.” Cards are blank inside and come with envelopes for those of you organized enough to actually get those puppies in the mail.

Most folks know better than to expect such things from me, and I’m ever so grateful for friends and family who graciously accept my “happy everything” with no cards attached.

— Lynn

Note: A Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce “Festival of Trees” fundraiser taking place Saturday, Dec. 8 at the Renaissance Hotel Downtown Phoenix benefits PSA Art Awakenings. Click here for details on all the festivities.

Coming up: Art meets mercy, Ceiling tales

Will you light my candle?

It’s one of my favorite lines from the musical “Rent,” which explores the lives of men and women living with HIV/AIDS, homelessness, drug abuse and a society not terribly concerned for their welfare.

Tonight candles will be lit in downtown Phoenix for men and women facing challenges wrought by mental illness and a society that continues to stigmatize those it doesn’t understand.

You can show your support by attending the Mental Health Awareness Coalition’s “Candlelight Vigil” taking place at 6pm at Civic Space Park, located at 424 N. Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix.

Two candles shine brighter than one. Photo by Christopher Trimble.

“We light the candle of truth,” says Carole J. Willis, “to dispel ignorance and misinformation.” Willis is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which has several Arizona chapters offering programs for individuals and families living with mental illness.

The event is hosted by the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy at ASU. Other presenters include Visions of Hope, MIKID and Magellan Health Services.

All are gathering to champion recovery, hope and renewal — and community members are welcome to join in recognizing and honoring people who live with mental illness, and in reducing the stigma associated with brain disorders.

Validated parking will be available at the ASU University Center garage (I’m told the entrance is on Polk just east of Central Ave.). There’s plenty going on in downtown Phoenix tonight, so consider staying after to take in a bit of arts and culture.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn morea about ASU’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy

Coming up: Once upon a haunting, Bring on the barber chair

Math meets mental illness

Jonathan Shew, Kendra Kassebaum and Joe Cassidy from Next to Normal production by Arizona Theatre Company. Photo: Tim Fuller/ATC

The math surrounding mental illness is startling. Experts report that 1 in 5 Americans are living with a mental health disorder, something you’ll likely hear more about in coming days as mental health advocates recognize National Mental Health Awareness Week, established by Congress in 1990. It’s held the first full week in October, and runs Oct. 7-13 this year.

A pair of theater works heading to Valley stages this month are especially well-timed. Arizona Theatre Company performs “Next to Normal” Oct. 11-28 at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. It’s a musical that imagines the life of a family facing both a mother’s bipolar illness and the death of a young son. Theatre Artists Studio performs “Proof” Oct. 19-Nov. 4 at its Scottsdale studio. The play imagines the adult daughter of a mathematical genius wondering whether she’s inherited her father’s madness.

Actress Glenn Close advocates alongside those living with mental illness through an organization called Bring Change 2 Mind. Her sister Jessie Close, diagnosed less than a decade ago after living nearly her whole lifetime with bipolar disorder, is one of two featured speakers (along with Andrew J. Sperling, J.D.) for a 30th anniversary celebration for NAMI Southern Arizona dubbed “Unmasking Mental Illness.” The event takes place Sat., Oct. 13 at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson.

The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) in Arizona presents “NAMI Walks” Oct. 20 at the Arizona State Capitol. Registration starts at 10:30am and the walk begins at 11:45am. If the math works, consider a donation to support the walk — or an organization of your choice working to improve the lives of America’s 1 in 5.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to explore ongoing offerings from Art Awakenings, which provides people living with mental illness with diverse arts experiences

Coming up: Dance meets dinosaur?, Before there was “Family Guy”

Supporting LGBT youth

I stumbled on the book “Improving Emotional & Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth” while researching a story on bullying for Raising Arizona Kids magazine. It’s well known that gay and transgender youth are bullied, but most of us know far less about effective strategies for helping these youth navigate the world of adolescence, a challenging time of life filled with questions of personal identity and place in the world.

The book, subtitled “A Guide for Professionals,” is edited by Sylvia K. Fisher, Ph.D., Jeffrey M. Poirier, M.A. and Gary M. Blau, Ph.D. It’s published by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., and is part of a series called “Systems of Care for Children’s Mental Health,” edited by Beth A. Stroud, M.Ed. and Robert M. Friedman, Ph.D. That’s a big bowl of alphabet soup.

Though written primarily for professionals who work with LGBT youth, “Improving Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth” is filled with insights that teachers, parents and others who care about children and teens can appreciate. The book couples scholarly insights with clear writing, making it accessible for general readers — and beneficial to those who work with youth in theater and other settings.

The book opens with chapters exploring public health perspectives and culturally and linguistically competent services for both LGBT youth and their families, sharing tools for organizations eager to assess their own cultural and linguistic competence. Several chapters exploring issues of sexual identity and development follow, each helpful in setting the unique challenges of LGBT youth within the broader context of adolescence.

Despite volunteering and working for many years in the field of mental health, I’ve been reading “Improving Emotional & Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth” with an eye to its applications for those in other fields, and folks who simply want to learn more about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. I’d have appreciated the book’s many insights during my daughter’s time volunteering with a Phoenix organization uniting young gay and straight allies.

Living in the Southwest, I’m especially interested in learning about the unique challenges facing LGBT youth within Latino and Native American communities, and ways we can all better understand and support them. Hence I found the chapter titled “Becoming Who We Are Meant to Be: Native Americans with Two-Spirit, LGBT, and/or Related Tribal Identities” especially helpful. It’s the book’s best treatment of the incredible depth and breadth of youth who fall along the spectrum we term LGBT.

A chapter titled “The Resilience U-Turn” explores the shift away from risk-based characterizations of LGBT youth towards considerations of their assets and strengths. Another, titled “Fostering Welcoming, Safe, and Supportive Schools for LGBT Youth,” examines strategies for fostering systemwide change and more equitable outcomes for LGBT youth.

Additional topics covered include suicide and self-harm, addressing the needs of LGBT youth who are homeless and the role of social media in promoting social inclusion and help-seeking behavior. A chapter titled “Internet-Based Information and Reseources” describes more than 30 online resources, charting each one’s topics and target audience.

“Improving Emotional & Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth” is an important resource for mental health professionals, educators and others seeking solutions supported by research and real-world applications. You might not read it in a single sitting, but keep it handy as a reference. There’s really no excuse for anyone working with youth to ignore or overlook the unique strengths and challenges of LGBT youth.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to read the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s “Facts for Families” on “Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Adolescents”

Coming up: Once upon a neighborhood, In defense of bloggers

Mothers making the journey home…

Women at Estrella Jail participating in the Journey Home program. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Courtesy of ASU Gammage.

Mother’s Day was the farthest thing from my mind as I drove into the parking lot for visitors to the Estrella Jail in Phoenix, which is temporary home for “approximately 1,000 inmates, predominantly female.” I’d been invited to see a performance by women participating in Journey Home — one of many community outreach programs of ASU Gammage in Tempe, which is headed by executive director Colleen Jennings-Roggensack.

We use lots of labels to describe people who’ve been incarcerated. Criminal. Loser. Nobody. And worse. We rarely think of women in jail as women first. Or mothers. But plenty of people living behind bars are parents, including two mothers I chatted with after this year’s Journey Home performance.

They’d gathered with other inmates in a small room filled with several desks — the kind with seat and surface attached, like those most of us used in grade school. A long table at one end held two-liter bottles of soda, plus plastic plates and cups. Also the cake that’d been cut and served in celebration of completing the Journey Home program.

Women participating in a community outreach program called Journey Home. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Photo courtesy of ASU Gammage.

As I celebrate Mother’s Day with my family, I’m mindful of the women I met that day — especially the two mothers who spoke proudly of their children. One has custody of her children. Another does not, though she’s hoping to regain it. Both beamed when asked about their children, sharing their children’s accomplishments like so many of us do. Doing sports. Playing violin.

After arriving at Estella Jail, I joined several folks from ASU Gammage plus those who’ve worked with Journey Home participants, in a waiting area that’s perfectly welcoming but still feels a bit like the bland interior of a shoe box . I chatted with a woman seated next to me, a mental health provider who told me she wished more Journey Home programs were out there to curb the hopelessness that makes life after incarceration so tenuous.

Officials checked our identification before leading back to the room where 25 women, ages 23 to 50, would be performing and sharing a bit about their Journey Home adventures. We’d already been told to leave purses and other personal effects at home. Audience members filled several rows of chairs, admiring a line of self-portraits that ran across the wall while waiting for the women to arrive.

Journey Home participants at Estrella Jail in Phoenix. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Courtesy of ASU Gammage.

Soon they entered, all wearing jail garb with wide horizontal black and white stripes, plus pink socks. The women performed several pieces featuring movement, stories and more — all met with warm and genuine applause. For six weeks prior to the performance, they’d met weekly for training in movement, visual arts, creative writing and storytelling.

The Journey Home program was inspired by a national prison project called Keeping the Faith, started by dancer/choreographer Pat Graney. It’s sustained by the partnership between ASU Gammage and Life Paradigms, a non-profit working to “educating and empowering women of color and their families.” Journey Home focuses on helping inmates to “develop tools to make positive choices” while encouraging them to “break the negative patterns of their lives.”

Journey Home participants at Estrella Jail in Phoenix. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Courtesy of ASU Gammage.

After the performance, several women spoke about the transformative nature of the Journey Home experience — and a common thread emerged. These women feel more confident, capable, caring and compassionate. They’re learning to believe in themselves and to imagine a future free of incarceration. The Journey Home program has served nearly 300 inmates during its first decade.

“Journey Home allows these women to develop creative tools that can help them make positive choices, and encourages them to break the negative patterns that lead to incarceration,” says Jennings-Roggensack. Ruth Acuna, an officer with Estrella Jail, says the program gives inmates a better understanding of their self worth. “We have seen the recitivism rate for the women who participate in this program significantly decrease.”

Fatima Halim (R) working with women at Estrella Jail in Phoenix. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Courtesy of ASU Gammage.

Journey Home participants work with several folks from Life Paradigms, including executive director Fatimah Halim, who administers the program and works with inmates on creative writing and storytelling. Also program director Teniqua Broughton, who specializes in movement and theater arts — plus psychotherapist Imani Muhammad, who does visual arts.

After Journey Home participants finished their performance, those who’d been watching had a chance to share their reactions. Many, including Michael Reed, senior director of cultural participation and programming for ASU Gammage, spoke of being truly moved and inspired by the women’s journeys. Before the event drew to a close, each woman was asked to stand next to her own self-portrait.

A Journey Home participant reads from her work at Estrella Jail. Photo by Aaron Lavinsky. Courtesy of ASU Gammage.

Many described their paintings, sharing both traumas from their past and dreams for their future. Then several of the women, now artists, handed their painting to a person in the audience whose earlier comments had stirred them somehow. It was a moving gesture, a gift genuinely appreciated. I hope so much for all the mothers of the world today. And for the mothers and daughters who shared such beautiful pieces of themselves with us that day. May they have a safe journey home.

— Lynn

Note: A 2006 report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics notes that 61% of people in state prisons and 44% of those in local jails have a mental health problem. Click here to learn more about mental health and prison policy.

Coming up: Silver linings

Update: I’m now blogging as “Stage Mom Musings” at www.stagemommusings.com. Please find and follow me there to continue receiving posts about arts and culture in Arizona and beyond. Thanks for your patience as the tech fairies work to move all 1,250+ posts to the new site. For the latest news follow me on Twitter @stagemommusings. 6/13/12

Seasons of change

Home Free, Cheyne - Sanctuary Art Center

With just a week before next Sunday’s CBS broadcast of the 2011 Tony Awards®, I’ve got a serious case of Tony fever. How kind of the Metropolitan Men’s Chorus to open Friday night’s benefit performance of “At the End of the Day…” with the song “Seasons of Love” from the Tony Award®-winning musical “Rent.” Also “Not While I’m Around” from “Sweeney Todd,” another Tony Award® winner, and two other selections.

I loved the fact that chorus members donned street clothes instead of traditional choir garb. Think red check flannel and Hawaiian print shirts. Khakis and flip-flops. And that they sang surrounded by set pieces resembling old aluminum siding spray painted with brightly-colored graffiti.

Open Heart, 2004, Gary - Sanctuary Art Center

“At the End of the Day…” — presented by QSpeak Theatre (of Phoenix Theatre) in collaboration with Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development in Phoenix — is “a play based on true stories and experiences of LGBTQ and homeless youth living in the Phoenix Valley.”

The play was “written in collaboration with program participants of START and GreenHouse Project programs at Tumbelweed Center for Youth Development, and youth participants at 1n10 and Y.E.P.” The one night benefit performance was directed by A. Beck, who describes it as the outgrowth of work with more than fifty youth during the course of nearly a year.

My daughter Lizabeth participated in several QSpeak projects (including “At the End of the Day…”) while attending high school at Arizona School for the Arts. Tomorrow afternoon, June 5, we’ll be seeing “Like Everyone Else” — developed by Xanthia Walker’s “Theatre for Social Change” class at ASA in partnership with Phoenix Theatre and the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center.” Both works feature snippets of stories meant to convey youth experiences in their own voices.

The 12-member cast did an exceptional job conveying the hopes and fears of LGBTQ youth struggling with homelessness and all that can entail — poverty, hunger, unwanted sexual encounters and more. Plus the issues that plague all teens and young adults, from self-identity to choice of values.

Choose, 2006, Ashley - Sanctuary Art Center

The work sheds light on complexities of societal supports for people experiencing homelessness. Bed shortages. Inadequate training for professionals. Budget cuts. And the tendency of too many to say they want to help the homeless without taking a single step to actually do so.

One message in particular stood out. These youth and young adults don’t want to be stereotyped or stigmatized. They’re people. Period. Yet portions of the dialogue revealed stereotypes some homeless youth hold against peers with mental health disorders, described in the work as “crazy,” “mental” or “psycho.”

Some aspects of life on the streets, including encounters with law enforcement, were deliberately excluded from the piece. The depiction of a youth who feels forced into prostitution by the need to pay rent was done with real artistry, but the sheer number of encounters “shadowed” through a piece of hanging cloth made this scene feel almost gratuitious to some in the audience.

At times, comments by cast and creative team during the post-show talk back were needed to elucidate points conveyed somewhat vaguely during the show. The fact that churches and temples, even those offering free food and clothing, feel unsafe to youth who grew up feeling judged by religious family and friends. And the aversion to accepting help that comes with strings attached. Think sermon first, meal later.

Coffee Shop, 2004, Scott - Sanctuary Art Center

If you missed the performance of “At the End of the Day…” but want to learn more about helping LGBTQ and/or homeless youth, click here to visit the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development in Phoenix. And stay tuned for future “theater for social change” fare from Phoenix Theatre and its many community partners.

— Lynn

Note: Additional information on programs and policies related to homelessness is available from the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness.

Coming up: Valley stages featuring Tony Award®-winning works

All artwork from the Sanctuary Art Center in Seattle at www.sanctuaryartcenter.org