Goodwill Industries and Bottle Works to Host Art of Recovery Exhibit May 21

Johnstown, PA, May 4, 2015— Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies in collaboration with the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center will host The Art of Recovery community reception—a free event at the Bottle Works, 411 3rd Avenue in the Cambria City section of Johnstown on Thursday, May 21 from 5:30–7:30 P.M.

The exhibit, entitled “Courage, Compassion, Connection: My Story Matters,” will showcase art journals comprised of artwork, writings, poems, and collages created by individuals in recovery from mental illness. The artists are participants, supporters, family members, and friends of Goodwill Industries’ Recovery and Community Integration Services. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet individual artists as well as discuss the stories behind their journals. The two organizations are collaborating to help reduce the stigma of mental illness in the Cambria County area. The reception will include light refreshments.

“Our exhibit is adapted from coursework by Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, who has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame,” said Phyllis J. Bandstra, Goodwill Industries’ President & CEO. “The exercise of creating journals is a powerful means of expression, representing their transformation from ‘What will people think’ to ‘I am imperfect and I am enough.’”

“This is the third year that the Bottle Works and Goodwill have collaborated on this event. Art and creative writing is a powerful tool to send a message and allow individuals to express themselves in a way they otherwise might not be able,” said Angela Rizzo, Executive Director for the Bottle Works.

The exhibit will be on display May 21 through 23.

Goodwill Industries’ state-licensed Recovery and Community Integration Services assists individuals 18 and older who are recovering from a serious mental illness to obtain the skills and supports they need to achieve independence in the community. Services are choice-based, person-centered programs that empower individuals throughout their recovery journey.

For more information on The Art of Recovery event/exhibit, or Recovery and Community Integration Services, please contact Trish Fisher, Program Director at (814) 536-3536, ext. 229 or tfisher@goodwilljohnstown.org.

 

Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.