Water has the power to heal and restore. This power is on display in an exhibit of images created in a therapeutic program for young people struggling with mental health issues. The program is based in northern Wisconsin. The exhibit, “Under the Surface – A Photographic Journey of Hope and Healing,” is currently showing at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota, and will soon be coming to Madison, Wisconsin, or a town near you.
The underwater images were taken by clients in a residential treatment program called Northwest Passage, which is based in Webster, Wisconsin. The program is sponsored by Wisconsin Sea Grant.
“We find our kids are able to relax in water in ways they’re not able to on land,” said Marceleen Mosher, communications director for Northwest Passage. “They’re able to capture an extraordinarily beautiful look at something seen by so few. They’re able to focus and heal.”
In addition to photographs, the students wrote stories and poetry describing their experiences or feelings about the images. The result is a powerful exhibit on the healing potential of the natural world.
Some of the images on display were captured at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. Others are from the south shore of the lake.
The Great Lakes Aquarium exhibit is in the Merrill Lynch Fine Arts Gallery through Jan. 10, 2019. The display is coming to the University of Wisconsin Madison Memorial Library next week in conjunction with the campus community’s “Go Big Read” program, which focuses on the Great Lakes for this academic year. The schedule for the campus and other appearances is below.
For more information on the Northwest Passages underwater photography project, see Sea Grant’s Press Room story here. To arrange to have the exhibit come to your town or facility, please contact Wisconsin Water Librarian Anne Moser at akmoser@aqua.wisc.edu or by calling 608-262-3069. The exhibit is free to display.
Oct. 23, 2018 through Nov. 30, 2018
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Memorial Library
First Floor Lobby
728 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
Hours: 8 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
Oct. 26, 2018 through Dec. 30, 2018
Madison Public Library, Alicia Ashman Library Meeting Room
733 N High Point Rd
Madison, WI 53717
In conjunction with the Ashman show listed above:
6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018
“Our Great Lakes in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities”
A talk by Anne Moser
