Leave Behind Stress, Paint to Express

Memorialize the Movement, a non-profit organization that started during the rise of protest after the murder of George Floyd, noticed the rising mental health concerns in our youth, in particular, Black and Brown youth who have been affected by the aftermath. 

Founder Leesa Kelly says, "When it comes to our workshops and our events, we want to show Black and Brown youth that there are these creative outlets for them." The canvas is meant to be there for whoever needs it.

Paint to Express

Art is often delegated to a hobby or a career, while also seen as something you must be skilled in. But Memorialize The Movement approaches art as a way to express participants’ emotions and have fun while doing it. Paint to Express, the latest residency in the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub, is intended "to be a place where people could leave their emotions behind," with the hope of leaving refreshed. 

"It comes from this hope and idea that people will come and leave all their trauma, all of their stress, all of the heavy emotions they’ve been holding with me and go out into the world feeling lighter," shares Kelly.

Paint to Express is less of a workshop and more of a community gathering. The goal is for everyone to leave the weight of the world on the wooden canvas just this once and have fun. 

This story was written by an undergraduate student in CLA.