First State Times

NEW CASTLE – The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, in collaboration with the Lt. Governor’s Office and the Delaware Art Museum, is seeking personal stories and photos from Delaware families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses. The submissions will be used to create an emotional and educational exhibition in 2023 to help reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder.

Delaware individuals and families are asked to submit three photos of their loved ones and to fill out a questionnaire through an online portal operated by INTO LIGHT Project, a national nonprofit that creates art exhibitions using the submissions as a way to change the conversation about drug addiction, educate the public, and reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorder. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 15. There is no cost to families to participate.

Using the submitted photos, INTO LIGHT Project’s professional artists will create original graphite portraits of each of the 41 individuals who will be part of the exhibition. Each portrait is framed and accompanied by a narrative depicting the individual’s life as told by their loved ones. After the exhibition ends, the portraits are gifted to the families.

Delaware’s exhibition will be held June 1, 2023, to Dec. 3, 2023, at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington.

“What a powerful way to show the personal loss that, sadly, too many Delaware families have experienced during the opioid epidemic,” said Joanna Champney, director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. “We know that those who died from overdoses are not numbers. They were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends, neighbors and colleagues. They were loved and they are missed profoundly. We are grateful to the 41 Delaware families who will share their stories with INTO LIGHT Project as part of this important exhibition next year at the Delaware Art Museum.”

To accurately reflect the breadth of individuals lost to drug overdoses and substance use disorder in Delaware, the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is seeking a diverse group of submissions from Delaware families. Families are included on a first-come, first-served basis. Delaware families who are interested in submitting an application on behalf of their loved one to INTO LIGHT Project, should visit: https://intolightproject.org/DE.

Original source can be found here.