SHREVEPORT – “My arsenal radiates resilience.”
That’s the final line of a poetic letter penned by an unnamed speaker writing from a mental health facility with a newfound support system.
That last line could speak for the entire Resilience Through Dark Times exhibit, works in various mediums that describe how LSUS students and faculty have overcome challenging life circumstances.
The exhibit, which will be displayed on the first floor of the Noel Memorial Library for several weeks, featured different forms of writing and visual art such as drawings, paintings and collages.
Nearly 25 submissions were on display at the exhibit’s opening Wednesday.
“All the submissions were really impactful not only because of the subject matter but because of the many different ways that were used to express it,” said Kendal Redel, the director of Counseling Services at LSUS whose department organized the event. “The whole point is for students to process and reflect on a challenging time in a way that felt right to them.
“This is also an avenue for students to know that mental health is something that we really value here.”
The topics ranged from depression that resulted in a suicide attempt at age 14 to the complex experiences of an active-duty military spouse.
From the effects of a pedestrian who was hit by a car to a dilemma one student faced about her mother’s reaction to her father’s sexual abuse.
From a collage about quitting a toxic job and the loss of purpose that follows to an African-American man struggling to express his experience in America.
“I had a really good experience in the exhibit, and I enjoyed seeing people expressing themselves in a lot of different ways,” said LSUS student Jaylen Terrel. “Some things are hard to talk about, so having different methods of expression is valuable.
“Society as a whole often fails in addressing mental health, so this exhibit can make students feel seen and heard.”
Nearly every piece punched through the described adversity and displayed hope and light on the other side.
Flowers were a common visual theme in art submissions, and LSUS student Essence Walton drew flowers tied together by a ribbon.
“Flowers are my main subject, and the way they blossom and bloom, they are resilient symbols in themselves,” Walton said. “It was really cool to see what people came up with and the way they put it on the canvas.
“This is a great avenue for people to express themselves, especially for those who can’t express themselves in words.”
Students also submitted songs for the exhibit’s playlist, which serves as a backdrop for the experience.
Future expansions of the exhibit could include student-written music or submitted videos to pair with the writing and artwork.
