Dozens of artists of all ages came to Beltway Plaza Mall to explore the connections between creativity and mental health wellness, at the Art Works for Wellness Art Expo, cosponsored by The Space and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Prince George’s County (NAMI PGC).
In celebration of Mother’s Day, free corsages made of silk roses were given out to the first 100 participants, provided by Beltway Blossom Shop. Many participants chose to create cards for their mothers using the materials provided by The Space. Other activities included decorating T-shirts, making posters with inspirational phrases, free expression painting and assembling self-care kits.
Higgs, organizer of The Space, presented the event to give people an opportunity to make art while learning about mental health resources. The event was set up in the court of the mall next to TJ Maxx, with several volunteers from NAMI offering mental health information. In addition to community members, around 20 people from NAMI attended the event including volunteers, program leaders, members and board members. Collette Harris, executive director for NAMI PGC (namipgc.org), stated, “My dream for an event like this is to increase awareness of resources available for people in need and to inform people about who we are and what we do, the services and programs we provide free to all residents of Prince George’s County.”
For more of this story, see the May 16 News Review.
