Arts&Life on the cover
JERRY ZOLYNSKY
The
Positive
Art
Power of
Kadima Creative Expressions helps people improve their mental health. RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
F
or years, Joel has dreamed of creating a graphic novel from the Star Trek-inspired art project he began as a teen. Today, thanks to Kadima’s Creative Expressions program, he is on the way to bringing his longtime dream to fruition. “It takes place in the 47th century; there’s some very far out and complex stuff,” he said. Beyond publishing a book, his aspirations include a video game, a movie and a pilot for a television series. HARNESSING THE POWER OF ART The Creative Expressions program began in 2016, as Kadima leadership realized the arts can have a positive impact on people coping with various mental health issues. “Studies show the important power of the arts for improving mental health and creating community and positive connections
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between people,” says Eric Adelman, executive director of Kadima, which provides a variety of residential, therEric Adelman apeutic and social services to people with mental health challenges. “These people have experienced a lot of closed doors; they haven’t had a lot of opportunities to engage in the arts.” Barbara Kratchman, whose long career in the arts and cultural community includes serving as director of the Michigan Council for the Arts, was instrumental in developing the program. Kratchman, who is married to past Kadima president Michael Kratchman, helped develop partnerships with local arts organizations such as the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the College for Creative Studies (CCS). “The benefits to our mem-
TOP: Finishing touches are added to a collaborative mural painting directed by Joel Kaufman. ABOVE: Eastern Market was the backdrop for a Kadima photography class.
bers have been palpable. People have embraced this program beyond what I’ve ever dreamed,” said Kratchman, who serves as chairperson of the Creative Expressions Council. “It’s brought people out of themselves and taught them they could do things they never imagined they could.” The program has flourished under the direction of program coordinator Craig Nowak, a professional artist and CCS instructor who became acquainted with Kadima when he taught a plein air (outdoor painting) class. When asked to join the organization on a fulltime basis, he enthusiastically accepted. “It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had,” he said. PRE-PANDEMIC PROGRAMMING Before the pandemic, at the Kadima headquarters at the Lois and Milton Y. Zussman Activity Center in Southfield, there was
a flurry of activity. Art programs in conjunction with the College for Creative Studies included printmaking/commercial arts, a mural painting class at City Hall Artspace Lofts in Dearborn, plein air (outdoor) painting and photography/stop-motion animation. A variety of music classes, some taught by visiting DSO musicians, include instrumental instruction, singing and movement. Among the most popular classes was a creative writing workshop and a member-written newsletter, the Kadima Voice. Classes were augmented with field trips to the DIA and tickets to performances by the Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT), DSO and other local arts events. Before in-person sessions were suspended, Joel also participated in the photography and music classes, where he played trombone and piano. “Kadima has been very bene-
