By Page Leggett

“Our agency is about togetherness, community and healing,” said Kim Lewis, Promise Resource Network’s (PRN) community outreach coordinator. “It’s about the power of being with others.”

And the power of creativity – which is where ASC comes in. “Creativity is at the core of everything we do,” Lewis said.

Sixty-nine groups and individuals applied for ASC’s latest round of Cultural Vision Grants, with 31 recipients selected to receive a combined $198,000 in funding. PRN was awarded $9,500 to support partnerships with community creatives and bring healing through the arts.

At a PRN event this fall, Clayworks – Charlotte’s largest clay studio and a long-time PRN partner – offered mini-workshops. A Clayworks teaching artist packed up the studio’s Mudmobile and traveled to PRN with everything necessary to offer a hands-on experience, said Susan Hughes, Clayworks’ community engagement coordinator.

“Seeing the clay … brings curious people over,” said Hughes. “Most people who stop by the table immediately start manipulating the clay in some way. Clay is an art form that most people have not had an opportunity to engage with on their own.”

It’s satisfying to see the joy on people’s faces as they finish their projects.

“They smile when they see they have taken a lump of clay and created something,” said Hughes.

To understand why that smile (and attendant sense of accomplishment) is so important, you must know something about who PRN serves.

WHAT IS PROMISE RESOURCE NETWORK?

In 2005, a group of people impacted by mental illness, allies and service providers formed the nonprofit Promise Resource Network to transform an illness-based treatment system to one that fosters wellness and recovery. The peer-based, survivor-led program works with individuals on recovery from substance abuse, domestic violence and other trauma.

“Reclaim You” is the group’s tagline, and their programs work to help clients do just that. PRN offers classes on everything from yoga to job skills.

And – along with community partners such as Clayworks – art classes. They make a difference.

“Research has shown that art is a powerful vehicle for learning and motivating people to think in different and creative ways,” Hughes said. “The triumph of manipulating raw materials with one’s hands is a proven way to develop creative problem-solving skills, an increased desire to learn, a boost in self-confidence, a general sense of well-being and pride in workmanship.”

Kenny Paul is a PRN client who took part in a recent Clayworks workshop. He first heard about PRN through his therapist.

“It was five years ago, and I was going through a rough patch – going in and out of the hospital,” said the research analyst. “My therapist mentioned the Promise Resource Network, and ever since I went the first time, I’ve met a lot of people who have helped me.”

He called working with clay “very therapeutic.”

But it’s more than just the fun of getting messy. The session was also productive. Paul hand-built an ashtray – that Clayworks fired in its kiln – that he actually uses.

He discovered artmaking is as much about the process as it is the end product.

“I was pretty much in the zone while making it,” Paul said. “I was listening to the drum circle and playing with the clay. It was an amazing experience – feeling like I was holding on to earth, molding it – it was kind of mystical in a way.”

ART IN ALL ITS FORMS

PRN taps into multiple art forms – not just ceramics – to help their clients. Guerilla Poets offer writing workshops, “Writing for Wellness” and “End the Stigma Poetry Workshops on Mental Health,” for PRN.

One Friday a month, Guerilla Poets also offers an open mic night for PRN clients to share their words in a public forum. The Cultural Vision Grant from ASC helps PRN stage events like this at no charge to participants.

Shane Manier of Guerilla Poets, Ltd. said spoken word is therapeutic, “no matter if you’re the one sharing or the one listening.”

“I think when people get up there and realize the audience is there to hold space for them, it becomes empowering,” Manier said. “There’s this beautiful energy flowing between the person on the mic and the people listening.

“If you’re sharing, then you are getting free of what has been keeping you confined in some way, or you’re standing in your power and restating who you are and who you are not. Either way, it’s such a freeing, empowering experience.

“If you’re in the audience, you’re being reminded that you are not alone, that you too can be brave.”

Artist and teacher Jah Smalls agrees that art can have healing power.

“I’ve witnessed many participants speak of their challenges with suicide, substance abuse and behavior issues due to never facing these traumas,” he said. Smalls, a coach with a seven-year track record, hosts open mic poetry and creative writing workshops at PRN.

“As a creative writing coach, I’ve learned that there’s so much healing in my work,” he said. “I’ve witnessed participants who’ve said they couldn’t write at all find their own magic by simply writing their story under my direction.

“Most of the time, people struggle with trauma that they keep captive in the back of their mind. This is difficult to face … because of trust issues. It’s very understandable but it’s also damaging to future and present relationships. Writing always allows the honest moment to present itself even if it means creatively disguising it in a short story or poem.”

Art, PRN leaders and clients know, is central to recovering from trauma. ASC helps make the magic happen.

“I love, love, love the Arts & Science Council,” Kim Lewis said. “Their grant was instrumental in making sure we can offer … these free activities to the community.”

“We couldn’t do what we do without their support,” she concluded. “I’m a fan of ASC for the rest of my life.”

ABOUT CULTURAL VISION GRANTS

Cultural Vision Grants respond to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community’s interest in arts, science, history and heritage programming. The awards provide funds of up to $10,000 to support high quality arts and culture projects presented within Mecklenburg County by Mecklenburg County-based creative individuals or nonprofit organizations that advance one of the following goals:

• Building community by connecting individuals across points of difference
• Building community by nurturing, celebrating, and supporting authentic cultures and creative expression
• Increasing relevance by using arts, science and history to address complex community issues
• Increasing innovation by supporting the creation of new and groundbreaking work

Nearly half – 45% – of the latest grantees were first-time Cultural Vision Grant recipients and 71% of projects are led by and/or serve communities that have historically been under-resourced, including African, Latin-a/o/x/e, Asian, Arab and Native American (ALAANA), LGBTQ and disability communities.