Gallery 194 hosts artwork from Community Mental Health consumers

 

LAPEER — For the past dozen or so years, Jacquie Piechowski has been teaching art classes at Gallery 194 for consumers of services at Lapeer County Community Mental Health (CMH). The latest artworks that have resulted from those classes are now on display in the upper gallery and will be there through the month of July.

Piechowski said she and Mollie Jones used to teach the CMH art classes as a team, but Jones stepped down so now Piechowski holds the Tuesday classes on her own. She said around 20 people attend, and they explore a variety of media, from painting, drawing, and printmaking to three-dimensional wood and clay methods.

“This particular group likes to draw and paint, and some of them are wonderful writers,” she said. “The talent that’s there is really kind of fun and it’s varied. It’s interesting work.”

This particular art show, said Piechowski, is a celebration of the things the artists involved have overcome in their lives.

 

“Considering what they’ve gone through, it’s phenomenal,” she said.

The artwork is displayed with just the artist’s first name, to maintain confidentiality.

Teaching the CMH art class is an enjoyable experience for Piechowski, who said she really enjoys spreading the love of art to the people she is working with. She also enjoys getting to know the artists and catching up with them every week, hearing about their lives in a fun environment.

“This is a time for them to just relax and create,” she said.

Gallery 194 is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The artwork from classes taken by Lapeer County Community Mental Health consumers are on display in the upper gallery at Gallery 194 in downtown Lapeer and will be there through the month of July. Photos by Krystal Moralee