Celebrating expression that comes from experience

First Moab Art for the Recovery Community event held this weekend

Art and free expression have long been recognized as powerful tools for healing and recovery, helping people to process their emotions and connect with others. 

“Everyone is an artist, really,” said Indigo Cook, the art director for Art for the Recovery Community. “Everyone has something to express, and we want to celebrate that.” 

For people in recovery from addiction, art can be an especially significant way to find meaning and purpose, and Art for the Recovery Community is an annual event held in Salt Lake City that showcases and celebrates their work. Now in its fifth year, ARC is coming to Moab for the first time.

The Moab ARC festival will be held on July 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Moab Arts & Recreation Center. The festival will feature a gallery exhibition of visual art by local artists in recovery, as well as evening performances beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“Our intention is two-fold: to build a community space for people in recovery to celebrate and connect in a positive way, and to simply have a wonderful art event,” Cook said. “This event stands on its own as a wonderful art show, in addition to being something for the recovery community.”

The Moab ARC festival is a free event and it is open to the public.

“I’m definitely curious about how it will be different in Moab,” Cook said. “It’s a smaller town, less formal, and so we’re trying to keep this as open for people to participate as possible.”

Cook stressed that all forms of expression were welcome and celebrated as ways for people to connect both to those in recovery and those who want to learn more and support the community. 

“When people are in recovery, art is a way to explore their experience,” Cook said, “but in our society, we can feel like less of a ‘real artist’ if we’re not professional.”

“Whatever you create, you make, you draw—that’s wonderful,” she said. “Bring art, there’s no deadline for this space.”

In addition to the live events in Salt Lake City and Moab, ARC 2023 includes a digital festival, where people can view art online. The gallery is available on the ARC website through July 23.

Those in recovery are encouraged to bring art to the Moab ARC festival. For more information, please visit the ARC website at www.artfortherecoverycommunity.com.

Author: Maggie McGuire

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