Envision:You—Colorado’s LGBTQ+ Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Initiative—recently hosted The Envision:You Art Show & Auction, where more than 100 guests from around the country joined the artists in a night of support for art and mental health alike.
“Art allows thoughts, beliefs, and feelings to rise to the surface in a creative, productive, and purposeful way,” says Envision:You’s CEO Steven Haden. “We are incredibly grateful for the talented artists who donated their work in support of our mission. The Envision:You Art Show was an opportunity for our community to find inspiration in art and healing with each other. We are grateful to each of our artists for their contribution, our sponsors who made the evening possible, and each of our guests.”
No stranger to hosting events for mental health and the LGBTQ community, Envision:You has always stood by their mission statement: “to support, educate, and empower members of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) community who are living with a mental health and/or substance use disorder.” The nonprofit has worked hard in creating safe spaces for Colorado’s LGBTQ community, and hosts a series of different workshops for those struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse (or those whose loved ones are struggling).
Of the several workshops one can sign up for through Envision:You (such as Finding Hope, Behavioral Health Provider Training, and Q is for Questioning) Envision:You’s Art Show put special emphasis on How to Have the Talk, a workshop that helps those with LGBTQ loved ones on how to approach a conversation concerning their mental health.
Syah Taylor, one of Envision:You’s board members, expands on the event, “The Envision:You Art Show was not just a display of talent, but also a display of resilience. As LGBTQ+ people we can become so consumed by our traumas that we find escapism through substance use and other dissociative activities. By showcasing and providing a sense of communal value to these stunning art pieces, LGBTQ+ people were able to connect to someone who has shared that pain while witnessing the beauty in their journey and survival.”
Taylor adds, “Envision:You’s work centers around providing the resources needed to uplift and empower members of our community. Through their work, more people from our communities will live to tell their stories and continue intergenerational healing.”
If you’d like to help support Envision:You’s work, you can make a donation by going here.
