ASPIRATIONAL ART GRACE HOUSE RECOVERY CARDS

Maureen Cremaldi, LPC, MS

Grace House’s Residential SubstanceUse Disorder Treatment Program for women has been in a wonderful partnership with Ursuline’s Art 2 class for the past 3 years. The treatment program ensures the use of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program in the recovery process. This year’s “Aspirational Art” project was “Recovery Cards.” The students chose a step or slogan of the program and created a painting as a visual representation of what it means to them. They used hand lettering to describe the step in a separate piece. Once completed, both pieces were printed to create a single card. There were a total of 60 cards per deck. There were a total of 80 decks professionally printed with a cover card which says: “Aspirational Art Recovery Cards created by the artists of Ursuline Academy High School for the women of Grace House in celebration of their courage and strength.” These cards will be used in therapy and given to the women to take with them upon completion of the program. The CEO of Grace House, Else Pederson, MBA, LAC, said the cards were “well received and appreciated - a great tool for recovery.”

The Aspirational Art that we have created has been made possible by a service learning grant from the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation. The grant has paid for professional grade art materials and the printing of the cards. Over the past 3 years, this grant has funded murals as well as outdoor and indoor large scale art pieces that the students have created. The entire Grace House campus is filled with Ursuline's recovery artwork.

There are many stages involved in creating our Aspirational Art. Aside from the technical knowledge needed to create the paintings, the students learn about addiction, recovery, and the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Grace House alumnae spend time with the students and tell their story of addiction and recovery. The students said this was one of the most significant aspects of the project. Some girls were invited to be guests of Else Pederson at the annual Grace House fundraiser, Women of Substance, at the Audubon Tea Room. The students were publicly recognized and enjoyed the luncheon and guest speakers.

The final stage of the project is selfreflection. The students spend time answering questions about their process, knowledge gained, and emotions felt. Upon reading these reflections, it is clear that our creative Ursuline girls live with compassion and articulate ideas with courage.