When we collectively emerge on the other side of this pandemic challenge, a uniquely positioned roving pop-up kiosk meshing art with behavioral wellness will burst onto the scene to help us all thanks to a partnership between the Krasl Art Center and the team at Spectrum Health Lakeland.
The two are partnering to develop the pop-up art and wellness exhibit to help address the behavioral health challenges faced by community members across Michigan’s Great Southwest. The pop-up kiosk, which is currently in development by a team of Krasl Art Center and Spectrum Health Lakeland staff, local artists, and regional creatives, is especially timely as the community faces the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal of the program, based on the Trauma Resource Institute’s Community Resiliency Model, is to increase understanding of mental health and destigmatize mental illness. Community members are invited to participate in hands-on, arts-based activities that provide opportunities to practice and build resiliency skills.
Dr. Lynn Todman, PhD, Executive Director for Population Health at Spectrum Health Lakeland, says, “I am proud of this collaboration, which is even more relevant given the emerging mental health challenges our community faces,” and adds, “This collaboration between Krasl Art Center and Spectrum Health Lakeland will introduce hundreds of people to the community resiliency model and provide them with skills to build their personal resilience and the resilience of their family, friends and neighbors in these difficult and unprecedented times.”
Tami Miller, Deputy Director and Curator for the Krasl Art Center, tellsl us “The art and wellness pop-up will offer the opportunity to address real needs within the community,” and suggests, “The power of art to strengthen and transform individuals and communities alike is well-documented; combining its strength with the expertise of the population health team at Spectrum Health Lakeland is an exciting partnership that truly blends two areas of expertise to affect meaningful change.”
Once built, the pop-up kiosk will be piloted at the Benton Harbor and St. Joseph Public Libraries, for approximately six weeks at each site during the summer and fall of 2020, pending regional health recommendations.
For more information about the project, visit the link below or email curatorial@krasl.org.
