Gallery show highlights impact of art therapy on stroke survivors

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This article was published 28/06/2024 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Stroke of Art is more than an art exhibition, it’s a journey.

The exhibit, on now through July 6 at La Maison des artistes visuels francophones in St. Boniface, showcases the talents of stroke survivors, highlighting the therapeutic benefits of art in their recovery while fostering community awareness and support.

The show is organized by the Stroke Recovery Association of Manitoba, which offers various programs and support services for stroke survivors, their families, and caregivers. Among these initiatives is an art therapy program that invites participants of all artistic abilities to explore their creativity using a variety of mediums, such as watercolours, acrylics, pastels and glass.

“We’ve had a Stroke of Art exhibit at our office building already, and we thought we would bring it more into the public eye,” says Julie Western, the office and program director for the association.

Art therapy can be beneficial for stroke recovery, providing benefits for hand-eye co-ordination, fostering creativity and helping survivors communicate emotions and experiences, Western says.

The exhibit aims to raise public awareness about the association’s programs and the role of art in recovery.

“It’s good for the community to be aware that there is a place for stroke survivors to come and do art and other programming. If the public sees this, or even if there might be a stroke survivor who sees this and thinks, ‘Hey, that looks fun,’ they can come join,” Western says,

The exhibition features art by nine stroke survivors: Melanie Fisher, Colleen Grywinski, Vera Hrycenko, Daniel Kimball, Patricia Mitchell, Tristan Nicolas, Joe Unrau, Charlotte Watkins and Shawn Obedzinski. Each piece reflects the individual artist’s journey and recovery process.

“Our group feels like we’ve come so far to actually be in an exhibit. It’s so exciting,” says Obedzinski, who has been part of the art therapy program for 15 years. She could barely draw stick figures when she started.

Obedzinski appreciates the variety of mediums and tools participants have a chance to work with. She progressed from using a fat pen to a regular brush with a little adaptation and now she loves to paint and do crafts.

For her, art has been a crucial part of her recovery.

“It wasn’t about art; it was about recovery. It was the fine motor skills I was looking for,” she says.

Through the program, Obedzinski found a supportive community that feels like family and has helped her recovery journey.

“It’s kind of sad when you become ill, you lose lots of friends and people you thought where friends are gone, but here is a place where you fit in,” she says.

“It’s beautiful, and nobody judges you. If someone’s having a sad day, the music’s going and … you just kind of say, ‘You know, it’s OK. Things are OK. We’ll get through this together.’ When you’re down and need people, it’s a family, a unit, a trust. You can go in there crying and get a hug. It’s just a very good environment.”

The exhibit is open to the public at 219 Provencher Blvd. and will be available for viewing for the next week. For more information about the exhibit and other programs, visit strokerecovery.ca.

thandi.vera@freepress.mb.ca

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