The Bakersfield Californian

Organizers hope Art in the Park will start discussion about mental health

BY STEVEN MAYER smayer@bakersfield.com

For millions who struggle with mental health issues, finding a solution is no walk in the park.

But this weekend, a stroll through Panorama Park at the bluffs may offer some help locally, while raising awareness of mental health issues.

“We hope this is something that will start a discussion about mental health in our community,” said

Dr. Christina Rajlal, a psychologist at Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, which is partner

ing with local art group Creative Crossing Co-Create to bring the new outdoor art experience to the city. Dubbed Art in the Park, the three-day event began Friday and continues through Sunday — during daylight hours only. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, local artists have designed and created 15 separate art pieces, each centered around key areas of mental health. “One of the biggest challenges is breaking the stigma and talking about it,” Rajlal said.

“It’s OK to say, ‘I’m not OK,’” added Kern Behavioral Health spokesman Mitchall Patel.

Many of the organizers and artists were astonished by the interest the artworks sparked in visitors to the park Friday.

Several walkers stopped to ask questions or talk about the paintings, which are mounted on sturdy easels bolted to the ground.

The paintings are to be removed overnight, then brought back at dawn today and Sunday.

Carol McCallion, who walked the park’s popular path Friday with her friend Penny Greer, said she was happy to see the paintings being shared with park visitors.

“Art therapy for mental health is essential,” McCallion said.

She was long ago diagnosed with bipolar disorder, McCallion said, and for her, creating art and even viewing art can have a positive effect on her.

“Some of them are just beautiful,” she said of the paintings spread at intervals along the path.

In some pieces, she recognized that the artist was expressing a darker emotional period, and it was reflected in the work.

And that’s just as it should be, said Evelyn Dominguez, one of the featured artists.

“Some people think it’s not OK to go through those dark times,” she said. “But those times can be the most monumental of your life.”

Reflecting those experiences through art is a search for truth. Expressing it through art can have a healing effect, she said.

“I love this whole concept,” she said of the three-day exhibition. “This is beautiful.”

One artist includes words in several languages, from English and Spanish, German to Korean, Punjabi to Vietnamese.

Artist Christopher Perez incorporated the event’s theme, Tools to Thrive, in his tricolored canvas. He depicted the image of the human brain between the tools of an artist and the tools of an automobile mechanic.

Perez has done both, but he recognizes artistic elements in both endeavors.

He hesitates to explain what his painting means exactly, but he said he would like to know that the 15 paintings, and the mental health professionals there to offer information and just maybe his painting, too, might help someone find a path to better health.

“I just hope it clicks with someone,” he said of his painting.

“It’s a good feeling to be here.”

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2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

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