In substance use recovery programs, making art has long been used to give participants an alternative and productive way to describe and communicate feelings.

Residents of CHD’s Grace House in Northampton, one of the few residential treatment programs designed for moms in western Massachusetts, recently collaborated on an art exhibit in their front entryway entitled “The Faces of Recovery.” They were led by Grace House Family Therapist Hilda Mercado, who facilitated and installed the project.

Each creation is “representative of their individual journeys into recovery,” said Grace House Program Director Elizabeth Finn. The display has a different meaning for each individual, but the participants are all “in union with their emotions, heart, and spirit,” according to the exhibit’s accompanying description. The pieces in the exhibit symbolize resilience and community, and were created to inspire hope.

The artists who took their time and devotion to create a reflection of what recovery means for them include Brenda M., Jill M., Kerry L., Katherine M., Talia D., Jennifer L., Leila St. J., Lisa M., and Shannyn P. The “little” artists are Leanna S. and Dillan L.