“Shared Decision Making: A Cornerstone of the Recovery Process”

             Come Share your Experiences!

Location:  Bay Cove Human Services
66 Canal Street
6th Floor
Boston, MA  02114

(Google Maps)

Free Informational Networking Opportunity!

CEUs are available for CPRPs.

Bring a colleague – users and providers of services welcome.

Light refreshment provided.

Please RSVP by January 25, 2011 to 617-788-1790.

all 617-788-1790 by January 25th.

(It’s free, but we like to know about how many to expect)

For further info on MassPRA
Call 617-788-1790

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Sheila Rose and her painted ballerinas shone at the Mass Psych Rehab Association’s (MassPRA+*) Creativity Event. “I am so happy that I went. I met interesting artists and many people want to help me sell my art.”

Which was exactly the purpose of the event. Master of Ceremony and Center Club+* staff member Florence Mugenyi# noted, “Sheila Rose and artists like her make this event worthwhile. We want to showcase creativity, teach creativity in ten workshops, help people earn financial respect for their creativity, and have lots of fun while doing it.” Besides Sheila and a dozen other artists from across Eastern MA, there was a steady stream of lively music, writing, and a Fresh Air play. Many of the 185 attendees flowing into the sunny Vinfen Training Center on Medford St., Somerville, saw creativity as healing from life challenges.

Mike Henry# paused after TheBand: MASS Exodus* finished their rocking 45 minute set, “I’m the only one working here,” he joked, wiping the sweat off his drummer’s brow, “Our band is a great place for veterans who were homeless to live a sober life; but we do know how to cut loose!” For Mike, music heals both is for the VA Bedford+ based musicians and for the audience, “Good music makes our message go down easy. We want to end homelessness.” This gig is a kick off for two summer concerts in Utah and Georgia; MASS Exodus dreams about having their own $36,000 sound system. Vinfen Corporation+* provides housing and rehabilitation, including vocational help, for people with emotional disabilities, substance abuse, and developmental delays. Vinfen donated their training center for this day. Manager Will Buckley# said, “I am amazed. Everyone wishes it was longer than three-and-a-half hours.” Meditation workshop teacher Gabrielle Evangelista laughed, “The music and workshops were really fun. Everyone walked out happier than when they arrived.”

Sheila Rose, Pat Carter, Jerry: Courtesy of Jerry Pinsky

The Band: M.A.S.S. Exodus

Sheila Rose had no doubts, “It was so energizing to be there. RamRam*# [Abdellah] did great putting up the paintings, And [event keynote speaker] Jerry Pinsky*# came to my house with my friend Pat Carter to teach me marketing.” Artist Bonnie Twomey wants more events like this one, “This is just the beginning!” Thanks to RamRam’s curation and showing her art at the Creativity Event, Bonnie will join artists Petronila Rivera and Brett S. Poza*# at Boston University’s Center for Psych Rehabilitation (BU CPR)* for a month long show at the Hope Gallery [June 19th]. RamRam talked publicly about why he chose to volunteer at the April 24, 2009 Creativity Event, “I worked hard on my art and learned to follow my eye. Now I sell my paintings and designs for thousands of dollars. It’s my turn to give back.”

Florence Mugenyi, courtesy of Paul Ottenstein

Carol Goldman# also gave back; she is an event steering committee members and was the first speaker. “When I was very depressed I felt deeply stuck inside myself. I lucked upon a community painting class. No one asked me, ‘how are you feeling today’, no one tried to fix me. But they said I painted beautifully. The art, the teacher and the class took me outside of my depressive self.”

Sheila Rose, Carol, RamRam, Mike, and Florence share their wealth through words, art and music. Keynoter Jerry Pinsky’s artistry is helping artists make money. He is Director of Self Employment Services at the Bedford VA+ and facilitator for the Veteran Business Owners Initiative (VBOI)*. His broad face, white hair, kindly wrinkles, and top hat frame an entrepreneur, a social worker, and teacher about collaborative capitalism. Jerry has lived the high-rolling start-up life and now he has helped over 50 veterans start their own businesses.

Pat Carter is one veteran Jerry helped; she is an artist who paints pictures of cats. She explained, “The VBOI believes we should be making good money from our effort and creativity. Jerry teaches business school skills we need in this world. But he also teaches us peer support. I don’t worry that Sheila will take my business. I want to have an art sale at the VA in Jamaica Plain+ where she sells all her ballerinas and I sell out of my cats.” Sylvia Gilman taught sketching at the event and has known the VBOI many years; “Jerry has an uncanny knack for bringing out people’s talents and getting them to collaborate with a keen eye for business.”

Collaboration at this Creativity Event did not produce income, but it created connection and a lot of good will. Tamara Calderon came to this event with several young adults from Vinfen’s Transition to Independence Program; it’s easy to see how they would be drawn to this vivacious and thoughtful director, “They loved the chance to read and talk writing with [workshop teachers and professional writers] David Connor# and Peggy Rambach. You can look at someone as troubled. I see a writer or an artist breaking out.”

RamRam Abdellah (R), Jerry Pinsky in front of paintings by Petronila Rivera; Courtesy Jerry Pinsky

Carol Goldman, picture courtesy of Paul Ottenstein

The age diversity between TIP’s eager youth and wise retirees like Carol Goldman and several others was only the most visible breadth of the Creativity Event. Participants included professional writers, actors, visual artist, storytellers, and musicians, a minister, a sports agent, a landscape architect, a VA Chief of Psychology, and even a former military intelligence specialist.

Stories here include a masters level graduate of MIT, a veteran who found himself homeless due to alcohol abuse a little over a year ago; now a rocking keyboardist on the music stage. Monica Briggs delighted the audience as Hospital Administrator Meg A. Bucks in the Fresh Air Follies play. Aside from the stage, she has found her true calling as a trainer for the Transformation Center. She recently became a full-time worker and has taken the precipitous leap of going off of Social Security Disability Insurance [SSDI] benefits. Her wonderful creativity and talent have helped her to recover from a difficult illness, and her experience has opened the door to the best paying career in her 15+ years in the workforce.

Steering committee member David Connor#, a teacher at the BU CPR muses, “We open the door; we invite people to show art, write, make music, and meet each other.” Stu Mendelson*, a professional storyteller and a fellow teacher at BU’s CPR, chuckled—“When I taught [the wildly popular] laughter yoga at the event we were all learners; everyone was chuckling and giggling!”

OK, you say, 78 volunteers who never worked together before put on a morning that left people smiling and humming. But really, do you believe MassPRA President Lyn Legere’s welcoming words, “We are building vibrant community?” MassPRA is formed by people in recovery, providers, and organizations like Center Club/Bay Cove Human Services and Vinfen; this rapidly growing organization promotes community connection and the right to work for people with disabilities. Artist, writer, teacher and MassPRA board member Brett S. Poza endorsed Lyn’s promise on-the-ground, “This community will become real and vibrant when we have another creativity event, and when we learn from Jerry how to start a business owners association for creative people.”

Jerry Pinsky courtesy of Paul Ottenstein


Chuck Drebing and Marcia Webster, pic by Paul Ottenstein

Joan is a community-builder person, the kind who Brett and Lyn are glad to draw in. She is a retired teacher, a leader in her church, and the matriarch of three generations of Websters attending the Creativity Event. Joan put off delicate neurosurgery a week in order to lead the ecstatic Mind Stretching workshop— “You miss the point if you think this event is an art show or a fine concert. Of course it is, but creativity begins with creative thinking, the visions we heard here today. Did you hear Florence say ‘the Big Idea is that we are transformed by arts and creativity?’“ Sheila Rose came to Somerville because she saw those shared visions melding with her personal vision of ballerinas. Sheila Rose is transformed by her work and those who view her ballerinas.

Florence closed the Creativity Event exactly as scheduled at 12:30. People said sweet goodbyes and stepped onto the sunshined streets of Somerville to face the joys and mundanities of the weekend ahead. Sheila Rose walked as lightly as her ballerinas while taking the subway home. Mike and the rest of MASS Exodus— Joe Ramage, Dan Oliver, Eric Clauson, Dan Gustafson, Damon Hobson— quickly packed up their sound equipment and imagined that Big Concert vaulting them onto Good Morning America. Russ McNaught took down his bright abstracts. Tunefoolery*, Mike Skinner*, and Paul Brentlinger packed up their humming instruments.

Richard and Will did the grunt labor of cleaning the Vinfen Training Center spotless, order out of creative chaos. Thirty-five Medford St. was emptied of 185 boisterous people, blessed by Jerry Pinsky’s words to Sheila Rose, “Of course you can sell your art. You don’t have to do it alone; Pat Carter and I will enjoy the chance to help.”

Somerville’s Walnut Street Center (WSC) is one local creative and entrepreneurial agency that was drawn in by the event. Anyahlee Canas, WSC Art Program Coordinator wrote: Walnut Street Center is an employment and day habilitation service agency in Union Square, Somerville, that is invested in the creative pursuits of adult artists with special needs. Anyahlee comments: “Our interest in attending this conference was to continue our outreach to the community of artists in our area and to engage them in our Artist Exchange program. Involvement in our program gives artists opportunity to showcase their work in our public gallery [ART UNLIMITED]. This event inspired us; we made some positive connections and found people who are interested in partnership and in ‘Sharing in Art’. Thank you, your efforts are giving both individuals and organizations such as ours ways to connect and exchange resources.”

Author David Webster, of VA Boston and MassPRA board, was a central organizer of the creativity event. Thanks to Paul Ottenstein, Jerry, Mike Henry, and Lyn Legere for lively photos. Thanks to: Roy Brown, Mike Skinner, Kim Sheers, Russ Davies, Elaine Campbell, Elizabeth Amaral, Jocelyn Hand, LeeAnn Pierce, Mary Gregorio, Katie Stewart, Bob DeGrace, Jackie Ruff, Ros Harris, Melissa Wattenberg, Harold Sletzinger, Kevin Henze, Renee LaPlume, Lisa Halpern, Bill Carr, Terry McDonough, Kristi Grafton/Hope/Webster Place for catering; Steve Tracey & Waverly Place & VA Brockton for plants; Mark Matagnoro, Holly Baab, Tony Campinell, Moe Armstrong, Gail Marlene Schwartz, Jonathan Dosick, Susan Weinreich, Dennis Rice, Gould Farm, Anyahlee Canas, Alice Van Ormer, Gayle Bluebird, Jeannette Ellis, Peggy Swarbrick, Michael Kerins, Anne Whitman, Sunita Ochoa, Alexia Cirigliano, Leon Keyes, Howard Trachman –“you will like Sheila Rose!”; Steve LaMaster, Dori Hutchinson, Larry Kohn, Derek Fulker, John Labaki, Elizabeth Whitney, Anne Roy, Joan Rapp, Ruby Rogers Center, Steve Ducharme, Bill Kenney, Vieisia Novosielski, Jens Rybo & Tunefoolery; Elena Saporta, Chris Pina-Maralia and Jeff Munsell; June Gross, Laurie Martinelli, Clara Carr, Melissa Wattenberg, Lyn Legere, Thalia Falcon, John Washington, Dori Digenti, Marcia and Evan Webster; Mike Quirbach, Bruce Crowell, Mike Uraine, and Anthony Russo; Bob Schueler, David Selden, Mary Baures, and Susan Abbott.

Creativity Event Sponsors: MA Psych Rehab Association (MassPRA), VA Bedford, VA Boston, Vinfen, Centre Club; and the Peer-Run Recovery Learning Centers -- Metro Boston RLC, Metro Suburban RLC, Southeast MA RLC Creativity

Event Steering Committee:

Florence Mugenyi, Centre Club/BayCoveHS-- MC, graphics artist, musician, and more.
Michael Henry, VA Bedford, TheBand: MASS Exodus drummer/publicist, and more
David Connor, BU Ctr. for Psych Rehab, professional writer and actor; teacher and more
LeeAnn Peirce, VA Brockton, craftsperson, theater and more
RamRam Abdellah, professional artist and curator, teacher, and more
Brett S. Poza, Westboro State Hospital, artist, writer, teacher and more; MassPRA board.
David Webster, VA Boston, writer, connector, and more, MassPRA board
Will Buckley, Vinfen Corp- liaison, organizer, much more, MassPRA board
Mary Gregorio, Centre Club- cultural aficionado and more, MassPRA board liaison

LINKS:

www.centerclubboston.org
www.vinfen.org,
www.thebandmassexodus.com
http://ramramsayit.blogspot.com/
http://empowermentbank.googlepages.com/ -- VBOA
www.bu.edu/cpr/ Ctr for Psych Rehab
www.transformation-center.org
Brett S. Poza www.steelwrenchpress.com
Stu Mendelson storytelling: http://massmouth.ning.com/profile/stuartMendelson
www.tunefoolery.org
www.mskinnermusic.com