You're Not Alone

May 3rd 2021 - June 13th 2021

Mental health matters. While this subject is so often silenced or shamed, here at OCA Mocha, in collaboration with HoldOn2Hope, we are giving these artistic narratives space to be seen and loved. In order to break down the barriers and stigma that shroud mental health, we must first lay our experiences bare to be witnessed. With empathy and understanding, we can create change. This exhibit is a reflection of our collective and individual experiences navigating our mental health journeys. We are grateful for the bravery and vulnerability of these artists. May this collection of artwork remind us that even when the world was forced to shut its doors, our hearts remained open, reaching for each other.

– Co-curated by Liam Garrett, Graphic Design Studies UMBC 2021 and Rocky Callen.

HoldOn2Hope, founded by Rocky Callen, is the sponsor of this exhibit. Rocky Callen is the author of the YA novel A Breath Too Late. Her mission is to unite creatives in mental health advocacy and suicide prevention.

Rachel Droter

Cut (Self Portrait), 30" by 24" oil painting.

Self portrait of the artist in high school holding scissors poised to cut off her ponytail she has gathered in her own hands. A capture of the artist in a moment of physical and emotional transformation.

Body Documentation (Photo Series), 8.25" by 11.75" photo prints

Self portrait photo series taken on Epson printer/scanner documenting the artists body in a period of grief in an effort to understand the forces and matter at work in the body during loss and separation. Hopeful to preserve evidence of what she was too intimate with to understand with at the time of scanning and to see herself with clarity from the outside. All pieces explore grief, depression, identity, and isolation.

Ricardo Hawkins

Searching for Peace in Isolation, 28” by 20”, oil on paper.

This piece was made in March 2020, where in response to the pandemic, most of the world was in quarantine. In this piece, I wanted to illustrate the feelings of isolation that many people were feeling at the time. As a person who has dealt with mental health, I know that feelings of isolation can be very hard to deal with In this painting, I want to show that peace can be found, even when the environment around you doesn't show any sign. Sometimes you have to search for it yourself

Pluto Swift

Lonely But Not Alone, 9.25”.

Time spent alone early in the pandemic meant getting by without the comfort of my loved ones. Loneliness equated to a decline in my mental health. My backyard had a frequent visitor, this cat with no name. The style communicates the blur of my loneliness as time felt it was escaping.

Bryan Castillo

SUMMIT, 14.25’’ by 11.25”

Isabella, 18.5’’ by 15.5’’

The past years and few months have been a difficult time for everyone. For me, being productive in school and work has been very difficult. By creating these collages from materials in my home, I have felt more productive and better about myself. These collages represent some sort of accomplishment that has helped me get through each day. These collages were made from old magazines I found in my home during the COVID-19 lockdown. The frames were thrifted. I create collages that will complement the frame. I typically start with an image in mind or a certain color palette, but at the end it is something totally different and unexpected.

Lauren Brock

Without You, 16” by 20”.

After losing my mom to cancer this year I could feel my depression worsening. Depression from loss is a devastation on someone's life, it turns the everyday task into the hardest challenge faced. As the flowers die and the cards stop coming, the sting is still there for the immediate family. This is a real representation of my life and moving past depression and loss without my greatest role model. All of my art is dedicated to my mom and her lifelong devotion to mental health care

Bianca Newman

Coffee Messages, 7" by 5".

Some days are harder than others. It’s okay to have thoughts that aren’t always so positive. The endless maintenance of functionality doesn't revolve solely around self improvement or feeling happy, it involves allowing yourself to have these thoughts without shame. For me, these moments come after periods of dissociation. I found myself staring into my cup of coffee one morning, getting myself ready to move through the motions, when these words started humming around in my head. “Your future is worth today, your future is worth today, your future is worth today”. If you need a reminder that your future is worth holding out for, consider this one.

Kelly Snyder

Shhhh Don't Tell, 16” by 40”.

I consider myself an eclectic artist, because I dabble in many mediums and different techniques. I typically enjoy using acrylic painting as my main medium of choice, but lately have been experimenting more with mixed media art. I am a true believer in the healing power of art. It has the ability to transform us, whether we are creating it or appreciating it, and I strive to create imagery that is cathartic or evokes a sense of peace and serenity within the viewer. Art is a therapeutic and integral part of my life. My desire is to share my art with others, thereby conveying some human connection between the two.

Ruby Bassford

Everyday Things: Restraint + Routine, 16” by 11”.

DJ Becraft

Pieces, 23” by 22”.

Being Manic Bipolar, I go through extreme moods that just cannot be described with words. This shows just a few moods I go through on a daily basis. Just a few pieces of my puzzle.

Bess Lumsden

Alice in Wonderland: 150 Years of Madness, 17” by 22”.

This Alice here is a tortured soul, like me. In "Alice in Wonderland," there is a lot of underlying mental health stuff going on. If I were her, I'd go mad too - she's gone through a lot of tragedy. In the past, there wasn't always a diagnosis for mental disabilities, and people used to be institutionalized. This is an unfair punishment. Instead of being institutionalized, what is better is real, true therapy, minus the quack! Nowadays we try to figure out what is going on and how to help people cope using things like social skills and communities rather than trying to hide their struggles.

Tony LaBate

Bad Beetlejuice Days, 9” x 12”.

The coronavirus pandemic gives me bad Beetlejuice days. Me and my mom feel like Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin in "Beetlejuice" trapped in their house for 125 years!

Hunter Sugg

Acrylic Agate, 12” by 16”.

Created during quarantine in 2020, “Acrylic Agate” expresses the joys and beauty of life through its array of colors and gems. Using techniques such as pointillism and cup pouring to fill this work with immense and overwhelming detail. During a dark and lonely time for the artists and many other students, Hunter created this paining to bring light into her room and surround herself with beauty that she found.

Marissa Clayton

You Are Not Alone, 16” x 20”

For this piece I wanted to illustrate that people are a part of a community. And whether they realize it or not, they are not alone. By reminding people of this I hope to encourage others to reach out if they are having a difficult time.

Pattie Archuleta

Sacred Space, 20” by 12”

Shine, 14.5” by 12”

De la Luz, 12” by 9”

I have always been attracted to the beauty and mystery of discarded/broken/found objects. They can reflect the messy and broken places we have inside ourselves, especially those of us struggling with mental health challenges. I find solace and balance in creating mixed media assemblage pieces that allow discarded fragments to tell new stories. From the gathering and collecting to the placement and composition, there is an alchemy that occurs somewhere in the process when these fragments come together as something new and beautiful. My hope is that my work inspires a new reverence for the ordinary, allowing one to see the potential for unity and wholeness in our often fragmented lives.