“This epidemic is wrapped up in the guise of compassion,” said Kyle Schalow, founder of Rx Epidemic Memorial Foundation, reflecting upon the increasing rates of prescription drug addiction. “The pills are prescribed to ease pain and suffering . . . but they often just create more. It’s a Trojan horse.”
Reaching across all demographics, mental health issues find their way into every social pool. The suffering caused often rests below the surface like sediment – anchoring the afflicted in a stationary position. Without the support of family and friends, those suffering can only sink or tread water.
So what makes healing so difficult? If you ask Schalow what makes the public’s approach to mental health so different than with physical health, he would say that social stigma is one of the largest factors.
From pain to art
With both a personal and family history of substance abuse issues, Schalow knows firsthand the toll that stigma has on recovery.
Rather than ask for help, a person with poor mental health often learns to camouflage their issues—a reassuring, “no, I’m ok” can be quite convincing without a visible wound. While this defense prevents uncomfortable confrontation, it also fuels the alienation and loneliness that individuals with mental health problems are all too familiar with.
To raise awareness and spark a conversation, Schalow has spent the last year curating the international, mixed-media art installation titled STIGMA. Featuring the works of artists
touched by the effects of mental health problems, STIGMA explores the impact of the growing, national problem.
“We are trying to make a statement and create literacy about the issue,” Schalow said. “The artistic interpretations are varied. We want to challenge the stigma, often formed by fear and ignorance, and invite people to think about the problem.”
While some of the works in STIGMA are from an international pool of artists, many local artists, such as Greg Justus, Matt Wolcott, Rebecca Rae Tansel, and Mary J. Erard, will display work in the show, slated to travel nationwide this year.
Opening night
STIGMA opens on Tuesday, April 28, with a reception coinciding with the Rx Epidemic Memorial Film Festival (see film note, p. 32). The exhibition opens at 6pm, following a private reception for the artists and their families.
Works will be for sale during the evening, with donations to both the exhibition and the Rx Epidemic Memorial Foundation also accepted. Selected works from STIGMA will on display through the end of May, but some works will only be available for viewing on the opening night, such as a quilt made by members of Code 9, a national organization supporting police officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
An exhibition catalog will also be available, with proceeds going to the Rx Epidemic Memorial Foundation.
Trail of veils
Schalow and his wife April also travel nationwide with the Rx Epidemic Memorial Foundation project. Using art to communicate a social message, the Memorial is a traveling installation of prescription bottles filled with the memories of people who have died from prescription drug addiction and overdoses.
The Schalow family started this project in October of 2012. The first installation started with 2500 prescription bottles, and has since been extended to 14,000 bottles. The Memorial Foundation has partnered with localized anti-drug coalitions nationwide, and they have encouraged other groups to make an installation of their own.
“We’ve been called around the country,” Schalow said. “it’s just a matter of getting there now.”
STIGMA is free to the public, and opens at 6pm, Tuesday, April 28. Through May 31. Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee. 419- 897-8902, rxepidemicmemorialfoundation.com #ThereIsHope #PeopleAndFamiliesDoRecover #ArtChangesTheWorld
