THUNDER BAY – Local artists are sharing their own personal stories of addiction and recovery, paintings, photos, and sculptures this month at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
The exhibit runs from Nov. 4 to Nov. 27 in the gallery’s community room.
But on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the art gallery hosted an event for friends, family, and artists to see the exhibit highlighting resilience, healing, and voices on the forefront of addiction.
Chair of the Thunder Bay Drug Awareness Committee, Stephanie Diebolt, says the exhibit helps shift perceptions to create more space for compassion and understanding in our community.
“The shaping stories exhibit demonstrates how art and data can humanize substance use issues that are often hidden in silence,” she said. Through creativity, collaboration, and compassion, we can replace stigma with understanding and isolation with community support.”
Thora Cartlidge, parent volunteer of the Creaction Collection, told Newswatch the art on display is intended as a way to help “individuals express their emotions through art as a way of moving forward on whether it’s an addiction issue or it’s an issue related to housing and homelessness or other mental health issues.”
She also said the exhibit shows the real impact of addiction on families and the community.
Cartlidge noted that in 2024 the Thunder Bay area lost close to 134-135 individuals, “many of them young men like my son who lost their lives to toxic street drugs.” Her son died from an overdose in 2023.
Cartlidge said the urgency of the issue has “brought out the best of our artistic community” to step forward and try to help those in active addiction, recovering from addiction, or caregivers who’ve been impacted severely by loss.
“It’s true that those of us, and I will speak from my own perspective in the grief over losing my son, that grief through the anger that comes with grief about why did this have to happen has become a form of energy where I’m determined now and not alone but determined to push ahead on actions that would provide more support and not punish those who are caught up in the chaos,” Cartlidge said.
“It’s a chaotic world of addiction. So that being said, that speaks to the role for advocacy for a change in policies provincially, legislatively at the federal level, also and perhaps a more compassionate community towards those who are on the dark side of addiction.”
Organizers and artists alike hope visitors leave the exhibit challenged to rethink their assumptions about substance use, reduce stigma and consider ways to support change. They’re also offering safer-use education, mental health resources, and ongoing support.
