Art project draws attention to youth mental health

A New Bothwell student is processing her grief through a new community art project that aims to raise awareness about youth mental health and well-being.

“Whenever I feel really down, I just draw out my feelings,” said Morgan Dauphinais, a senior at Niverville High School.

“Even if it ends up being a jumbled mess, it just makes me feel a lot better.”

The 17-year-old is inviting classmates and members of the public to gather at the New Bothwell Recreation Centre this weekend to make art in memory of Alisha Hiebert.

Alisha, a 16-year-old resident in the tight-knit community in southeastern Manitoba, died by suicide in October 2023.

Morgan remembers Alisha as a loving, creative and wise older friend she could always count on. The duo bonded over being “weird kids” when they were growing up, she said.

A public obituary describes Alisha as a chatty older sister who had “boundless curiosity” and enjoyed reading, volleyball, ukelele, choir and helping others.

“I’ve made it my mission to make their story known and tell other people that they’re not alone and people will miss them if they’re gone from this Earth,” Morgan said.

That’s why the teenager, with help from her high school art teacher, has spent much of her Grade 12 year organizing a fundraiser for Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline (9-8-8).

Morgan has purchased 50 canvases — six-by-six inch tiles — for anyone to paint at her local park, located at 50 Park Bay Rd. She is asking participants to contribute $15 per tile.

The squares will be glazed, fired in her school’s kiln and combined into one colourful memorial.

The project was inspired by a tile mosaic that was installed in Niverville’s Hespeler Park, a town beautification project, in 2024.

Morgan said she hopes her edition, which has been about 18 months in the making, is therapeutic for everyone involved and sparks conversation about mental health.

Its final destination has yet to be confirmed, although she said she wants it to go up somewhere she and Alisha frequented as children. Both the elementary school and community centre in New Bothwell are possibilities.

Teacher Tony Clark said he’s always heartened when his students demonstrate they understand art is a form of communication that can give them agency.

Morgan is elevating painting “to a level of therapy,” and she’s shown sincerity, resilience and leadership in her commitment to this extracurricular project, Clark said.

“I’m very proud of her… It’s great for the community to see — these kids have something to say,” the art teacher said.

Morgan is open about the anxiety and other mental health challenges she’s faced in her young life, some of which are tied to being diagnosed with ADHD.

By gathering community members together today and Saturday, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., she said she wants to send the message that, “You really don’t have to deal with (difficult emotions) alone.”

Suicide has long been the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 17 in Manitoba.

The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth reported 37 suicides — the highest number of deaths by suicide ever reported to the independent office — in 2022-23.

There were 24 during the following fiscal year. Last year, there were 18.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca