‘What I see in them is a lot of hope’: Crossing Bridges Outreach Show on display
KAMLOOPS — The Crossing Bridges Outreach Show is on display for Mental Health Month.
The community outreach program and exhibit put on by the Kamloops Art Council since 2013 features work from new artists who are at risk, have substance use issues, or in need of assistance. Kamloops Art Council goes to places such as Phoenix Centre and Four Directions Secondary School and provide art opportunities to those who may not normally have the chance to be creative.
Executive Director Tanya Nielsen says it’s a cathartic system, but it gives some people a kind of help they need.
“I think everyone finds art a little bit therapeutic. But when I look at the work, what I see in them is a lot of hope… bright colour, too,” Nielsen says. “I really believe in this program. It shows people that they’re capable of something really great; to be able to be creative and enjoy something they normally wouldn’t think about enjoying. I think it’s a productive way to work through things and also see another side of themselves that they never considered.”
