Long Island Visual Arts Non-Profits Host Mental Health Event

The Art League of Long Island is excited to participate in “Art Soothes the Mindful Soul” and announces a free event during Mental Health Awareness Month. This art and meditation event will be held on May 25 from 6 to 7:30 pm in our Jeanne Tengelsen Gallery. The event is open to all members of the community and no prior experience is necessary. It is an opportunity for individuals to come together and learn about the importance of mental health and the benefits of meditation and art therapy. We hope to offer a unique experience that will be both educational and therapeutic for all participants.

Elizabeth Castelli, a meditation instructor and life coach, will lead the group through a guided meditation session that will begin with a relaxation/ body scan. She will help participants tap into their Inner Heart Wisdom, the place of Creative Power, and imagine what they are being called to create. Posing inquiry to our heart center to envision what is lying latent within.

Rachel Woelfel, a Masters candidate in Art Therapy at Pratt Institute, will then lead the participants in expressing their emotions through color and mixed media art materials. This workshop is in the spirit of the Art League’s motto, “Be the Artist You Want to Be.”

Elizabeth Castelli is an ACC (ICF), Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) through the

Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), an ICF (International Coaching Federation) accredited program. She upholds the ICF professional and ethical standards of practice in her coaching. Elizabeth is also a Registered Nurse and traditional Reiki Master.

Rachel Woelfel is a Graduate Student at Pratt Institute’s Art Therapy and Creativity Development program. Born in Huntington, New York, Rachel received her Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Art History from Stony Brook University, with minor studies in Media Arts and Gender Studies.

The event will be held in the Art League of Long Island’s Jeanne Tengelsen Gallery, located at 107 East Deer Park Road, in Dix Hills, NY. Established in 1955, the Art League is a not-for-profit visual arts center whose mission is to provide a forum and showcase for artists of all ages and ability levels, whether through art education in the studios or exhibition opportunities in the gallery and art fairs. Artwork on display in the gallery may be available for purchase. The Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery is open free of charge. For more information visit www.artleagueli.org or call (631) 462-5400. Pre-registration is required due to limited space, and interested participants can register online at the Art League’s website: www.artleagueli.org.

—Submitted by Art League of Long Island

Letter To The Editor

HOMELESSNESS IN THE USA: THE INVISIBLE SOUL

I ride the westbound Long Island Rail Road train, bounding toward Penn Station on a beautiful crisp autumn morning surrounded by men and women nattily dressed in their business attire.

These men and women glance at their cell phones, unfold and re-fold their newspapers, open their leather briefcases, and sip their cups of coffee in perfect orchestration to the squealing of the train wheels on the metal tracks. The blurry images of towns whizzing by gives way to darkness, a tell-tale sign to all aboard that the train is descending into the tunnel. Soon, our destination is at hand. The announcement informing all that the intended destination has been reached comes as no surprise. Many travelers are already standing in the aisle, overcoats on, briefcases and bags in hand, ready to commence the final leg of their journeys to their respective workplaces. I file out slowly and join the end of this pack of travelers as they move seemingly in unison up the steps to the concourse.

The morning rush moves in a perfect choreography as people traverse the corridors, some running for tracks while others moving apace trying to get to the escalators and the street beyond.

Peppering this throng of daily commuters are tourists trying to not get run over or tripped up by this single-minded group eager to begin another workday.

In their determination to get to where they need to be this particular morning, it appears that none of these commuters sees him. Although, maybe a more accurate assessment is nobody wants to see him. It is far easier and more convenient for people to avert their eyes.

I see him…a human being clearly down on his luck. He wears his misfortune like a badge of the adversity he’s clearly experienced in his young life. It is evident in his dirty face, matted hair peeking from under his hat, and his grimy, smelly clothes. He proffers a used Starbucks cup with his soiled hand and caked nails for donations. Some coins rattle from inside. I take a moment to observe. The morning masses move swiftly by him as if he is invisible.

I feel obligated to honor his cup and his plight. As I make my contribution, a well-dressed commuter offers an unsolicited and galling observation suggesting that if people, like me, donate to the homeless it will dissuade them from supporting themselves. While the motivation from the impertinent commuter is unclear, his words are mostly definitely not helpful. As the commuter moves on, I lock eyes with the young recipient of my donation. I wonder to myself, Why are you here, in this circumstance? Everybody has a story and I ponder what his could be… Homelessness is not an NYC problem. It transcends county lines, sexual orientation, political parties, religion, etc. It is an issue that may not impact you intimately. But, it could, especially now that the covid-19 pandemic has had such devastating impact on people worldwide. People who were secure financially and emotionally pre-pandemic may not be by the time covid-19 is quelled. That does not bode well for vulnerable people. Homelessness may have even further-reaching implications than it does at the moment.

Reports from the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola University New Orleans find that nearly one in five homeless youths from North America are victims of human trafficking. Undoubtedly, the issue of homelessness is compounded by mental instability. Numerous