Article & Photography by: Diane Fleischman

The Arts and Care event held its second gathering at the Ice House in Bethlehem this weekend. The event, created by Michael Judkins, a Lehigh Valley resident, and founder of Oct 14 Entertainment, stated “I wanted to create an event that merges my two worlds of Mental Health and the Creative Arts and to educate and focus on well-being and the feeling of expressive creative arts in the same environment.”

This year, the event expanded to two days that offered a performance on Friday by jazz musician, Allan Meyerson, a Lehigh Valley Award winner, who has played and recorded with many jazz contemporaries, and author of ‘First Steps to Jazz Improvisation’.

The line up for Saturday was full. Starting the event was Haven Simmons, a Literary Arts student at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, read several heartfelt poems, that dealt with relevant issues like body image, and societal issues. Haven has been published in multiple anthologies, and won the 19^th annual Lehigh Valley Press Poetry contest.

Ondina Hawthorne, President and Co-founder of The Elijah-Alavi Foundation, told her story of the grief, and tragedy of the passing of her son from an anaphylactic reaction in 2017, and her ongoing recovery of body, mind, and spirit through healing mantras and stretching exercises.

Jayna Bitler, a college student, on the path of becoming an Art Therapist, presented her poems. She has been published in several anthologies, and has won several statewide writing contests during her middle school and high school years.

Wisteria Dawn is an ordained minister, a healing practitioner and a teacher. She brought an all-encompassing spiritual experience to her ceremonies. Dawn uses a variety of approaches to encourage soul growth. A strong believer that ‘balance is medicine’, and honors maintenance of the union of mind, body, and spirit.

Also on hand was the artwork of Michael Freeman, a Lehigh Valley resident,  who is an abstract artist visually impaired with tunnel vision, who is also legally blind, and color blind. He stated, “My paintings primarily feature tactile components and texture so that others with visual impairments can feel them. ”

Rounding out the program was a one act play, “An Empty Chair” by Damien Darr, directed by Gary Boyer, who serves as President of the Pennsylvania Playhouse in Bethlehem. The behind-the-scenes crew were Emily Kemler and Jeffrey Jaremko. The play took us on a journey of Kevin, who was in a coma after a devastating car accident. As the story unfolds, Kevin awakens in an empty room, confronted by a solitary chair bearing the ominous warning, “Do Not Sit.” Kevin can hear everything around him, setting the stage for a profoundly introspective exploration of his consciousness and the shocking revelations that will unfold. A well seasoned cast of theatre performers included; Thomas W. Rush, as Kevin, Liam Griffith, as the young son, Phuong Tran, as the son, 15 years later, Syd Stauffer as wife, Veronica, Brad Briddes, as brother, Joe, and Torez Mosley as the doctor.

The Arts and Care event is a great event for one and all, a chance to explore mental health and this unique way to integrate creative arts. The Arts and Care event will return to The Ice House in 2025.