INTO LIGHT

INTO LIGHT is on a mission to erase the stigma of drug addiction by putting a human face on the insidious disease of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The Elevate Prize will be used to support the creation of original graphite portraits and written narratives of over 1,000 people throughout the USA who have died from drug addiction. Each state in the country will be represented in state-by-state exhibition of people who have died from that state.The portraits and narratives from states where INTO LIGHT exhibitions have already been held (MD, NC, OH, PA) have proven to act as a catalyst for community programming that encourages dialogue, education, and shared resources at the local, state, and national level. 

Specifically, funding will be used to hire artists, writers, graphic artists, a PR firm, and web designers. Additionally, support will be used to professionally frame and hang each portrait, create exhibition signage and gallery brochures, and to create a virtual visit to the exhibition to be posted on social media and the project's website. Support is also needed for administrative costs of this national project.

Non-monetary support of the project will help to increase its visibility and impact.

I am a 70 year old woman. I lost my son, Devin, to an accidental drug overdose February 4, 2018.

As a way of working through my grief, I picked up a pencil and began to draw...starting with a portrait of Devin. I had never attempted a portrait before. INTO LIGHT was born.

According to the World Health Organization, 90% of people with Substance Use Disorder don't seek help because of stigma. We need to change that. INTO LIGHT is opening conversations and changing language and attitudes, so that those who are suffering from drug addiction, and their families, ask for the help they deserve. 

INTO LIGHT has chosen to use the unique power of art to accomplish its goal. Approximately 1,000 portraits and written narratives about people in every state in the USA who have died from drug addiction will be created. Public exhibitions made up of people from that region will be displayed. These exhibitions engage the public and act as a catalyst for educational programming about the impact of drug addiction. The ultimate goal of INTO LIGHT is a national exhibition to document this national epidemic...much in the spirit of the AIDS Name Project.

According to the World Health Organization, 90% of people who suffer from the disease of SUD do not seek the help they need.  Dr. Nora Volkow, a leading expert in stigma and drug addiction in the US puts it this way, "Untreated drug and alcohol use contribute to tens of thousands of deaths every year and impact the lives of many more. Healthcare already has effective tools including medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder that could prevent many of these deaths, but they are not being utilized widely enough, and many people who could benefit do not even seek them out. One important reason is the stigma that surrounds people with addiction." (April 2020)

INTO LIGHT works with local communities to identify those who have been lost to SUD in that state. Portraits and written narratives are created for up to 41 people in each state. In partnership with a local university, an exhibition of the series is put on public display. The exhibition acts as a catalyst for educational programming about drug use and stigma. INTO LIGHT, in its purest sense, is art activism... changing language and attitudes about SUD and those who suffer from it. 

INTO LIGHT uses the unique power of original portraiture and written narratives to start conversations about people with SUD. Each individual portrait shows the person's light side and their dark side. Graphite is an intentional medium for the metaphor that we are all made up of light and dark. No one should be defined by their darkest moments.  

Photographs are ubiquitous, whereas, graphite portraits of loved ones are uncommon.  Based on the surveys taken from participants in the five states where INTO LIGHT exhibitions have been held, we know that INTO LIGHT portraits have a profound impact on the viewer. They "make you stop dead in your tracks."  INTO LIGHT is the only organization of its kind that uses original portraits and written narratives to put a human face on drug addiction, thereby, encouraging people to see those "lost and loved" for the people they were...people just like all of us.

Finally, the project was founded by a mother who lost her own son to SUD. She had never attempted portrait work. The project is an example of the power for the human spirit to turn grief into something very powerful. This adds a compelling human element to the project 

INTO LIGHT works with local communities in every state in the USA to identify those who have been lost to SUD. Families are invited to submit their loved ones via an on-line process. Up to 41 submissions are accepted per state. Along with the photographs submitted, answers to a questionnaire that will inform the narrative are required. 

Exhibitions are held on college campuses. Public educational programming is offered including, for example, panel discussions on drug addiction, Narcan training, etc. Each exhibition is accompanied by a video that is posted on the INTO LIGHT website, YouTube, etc. This on-line opportunity, necessitated by COVID-19, enables the exhibition to reach a world-wide audience. Several universities have had students read the narratives, adding another layer of impact from the project. 

INTO LIGHT has attracted much media attention. Interviews on all major television networks, radio stations (including NPR), and print publications, have further impacted the ability of the project. These platforms offer an opportunity to speak out about stigma and shame, talking about the important of language, and the fact that SUD is a disease, not a moral failing.