On May 20, 2023, local Santa Ana nonprofit organization, The Art Spread, hosted ‘Healing Through Art’, an art fair that promoted mental health awareness through creative exercises. The Art Spread’s mission is to lead artists with adversity to success and build a supportive environment for everyone struggling with mental, physical, and societal challenges. At ‘Healing Through Art,’ the fair welcomed everyone to experience accessible art, complimentary food and drink, and creative, holistic approaches to issues facing the community.
Guests were greeted with free art-&-wellness care packages filled with art supplies, mental health resources, and relaxation aids to enjoy at home. The Art Spread’s event helped people find solace, comfort, and hope through the transformative power of art.
By hosting the art fair at the spacious and scenic Bomo Koral park in Santa Ana, ‘Healing Through Art’ was able to collaborate with several other local organizations that support artistic discovery, healing, and growth. That included local Orange County organizations like Cancer Kinship, Villages of California, Painting Your Heart, and Head Start who engaged with guests through educational resources and artistic activities.
‘Healing Through Art’ provided workshops for all participants, regardless of artistic skill. The workshops focused on education through entertainment and strengthening imaginative design skills.
‘Healing Through Art’ provided workshops for all participants, regardless of artistic skill. The workshops focused on education through entertainment and strengthening imaginative design skills. Workshop participants learned about new programs and techniques at the guidance of instructors, Chloe Canton, Kimberly Counes, and Rawan Ita-Diaz.
Therapist Chloe Canton shared insight on color psychology and emotional expression through artistic techniques.
Art instructor Kimberly Counes led mindful drawing workshops to calm and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Rawan Ita-Diaz, using IPads and Procreate, led digital art for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Face and body painter, Samantha from Samtastic Faces, painted children and adults using designs guests wanted as self-expression.
Throughout the event, participants were surrounded by meaningful and affordable art curated from artists featured with The Art Spread. As part of its mission to make art accessible, the Art Spread hosted art raffle prizes and silent art auctions.
To enhance the overall art fair experience, guests were treated to complimentary specialty café drinks from Moonwood Coffee and savoring tacos from El Catcheton, allowing guests to stay the entire time of the art fair and feel fulfilled while engaging in workshops and art raffles.
‘Healing Through Art’ enriched the community by introducing art culture, entertainment, mental health conversations, creative education, and emotional support lasting beyond the conclusion of the event.
The Art Spread truly appreciates the City of Santa Ana for sponsoring this event and looks forward to our next event!
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The Art Spread IG Page: https://www.instagram.com/the.art.spread/
Rawan,
Thank you all for such a wonderful event. Everyone we met was friendly and the workshops were educational and well presented. Looking forward to the next event!
Another incredible event! We had a great time. The workshops were incredible and allowed me to walk away feeling more artistic and more calm! Thanks for hosting and making this accessible to the community.
amazing event, had such a nice time hosting it and meeting everyone. thankful for the hard work and City’s sponsorship.
Excellent write-up, Rawan! The variety of activities was impressive, I wish I could have been there.
Thank you, Natasha! That means a lot coming from a talented writer like yourself. We missed you and hope to see you at the next one!
Excellent write-up, Rawan! The variety of activities was impressive, I wish I could have been there.
Thank you Natasha!