Great Strides, March 2018

Art work by IC artist Jose M.

Join us at the IC as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! On March 16th, we will have a free corned beef and cabbage lunch. We will also have workshops and activities throughout the day celebrating the Irish culture!

“EVERYTHING THAT’S ON MY MIND” A Pop-Up Solo Show by Dan M.

Monday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM Wednesday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM Friday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM (Food Bank is not available during parties and meetings.

We asked Daniel - How did it feel to have a solo art show?

“Fine, once it started. Before the doors opened I was looking around at all of my paintings and my heart began pounding like never before.

I imagined all eyes on me and that people were going to judge me for little mistakes. When I was in school in Special Ed my classmates stole, took credit for and destroyed my art. I didn’t want to make any more art because I didn’t want people to wreck my art.”

“The art I make (drawing, sculpting, painting) are pieces of my soul, they are representations of my thoughts and who I am. When people purposefully destroy my art it makes me feel like they are trying to rip my heart out of my chest. Now I am in a place where I can create and it is protected, life has improved. Seeing all of my art together was impressive. I didn’t know how much I had created until I saw it all together, it showed I was accomplishing something on my own. Everyone seemed to like my work and asked a lot of questions. One of the questions was about where I imagined my art one year from now. I don’t expect it to be in a museum but I hope people will remember it exists.” - Dan M.

New from the Computer Lab: Test your computer knowledge and challenge yourself to the scavenger hunt provided for members! Details coming in April!

Twelve IC Artists took a trip across the street to Mattatuck Museum to view the “Fantasy Train” exhibit by Alexander Shundi. IC Artists were amazed by the many different ideas the trains brought! Join us for our next Friday afternoon visit to the museum!

2

Drawing, jewelry making, knitting, mask making, clay, painting, Angelica enjoys working on all of these things! Her favorite thing to work on right now is knitting.

Three days a week Angelica works in the art studio, she says that it feels good and helps keep her mind off of things. Angelica enjoys using the books in the art studio library to learn about new art and help her with ideas.

For people who hear voices: www.facebook.com/cthearin gvoicesnetwork or http://www.hearingvoicesus a.org/ Alternatives to Suicide Support Group 399 Franklin Avenue Hartford Wednesdays 4-5pm http://toivocenter.org/ OCD support group http://psychiatry.yale.edu/o cd/patients/support.aspx Alcoholics Anonymous http://www.aa.org/ Narcotics Anonymous http://www.na.org/

What is a shamrock? Why is a four leaf clover lucky?

The shamrock is an iconic symbol of Irish heritage and culture. It appears on the flag of Erin Go Bragh, meaning “Ireland Forever,” utilized by St. Patrick as a symbol of Irish identity, and can be found on the uniforms of Irish sports teams and on the national airline. The symbol dates back thousands of years but there is confusion between a shamrock and the four leafed clover. The word shamrock means “little clover.” A clover belonging to the genus Trifolium, meaning “having three leaves.” While trying to convert the Irish into Christians, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three leaves also stand for faith, hope and love. A fourth leaf is where we get the luck from. The fourleafed or “lucky clover” is the symbol of good luck because they are a mutation, they are rare, and not found in abundance, thus, considered lucky.

The Irish symbol of a shamrock does not include the fourth leaf. Knowing the difference can save you embarrassment and mistaken identity when it comes to the historical and traditional symbol of Ireland.

Let’s see how lucky you are. We will be making a clover patch at the IC for acts of kindness in March, join us!

Overeaters Anonymous https://oa.org/ Gamblers Anonymous http://www.gamblersanony mous.org/ga/ For additional information on Support Groups in Connecticut, visit http://www.mhconn.org/ed ucation/information%20and %20referral/ or call: 1-800-842-1510, ext. 10

3

Infoline CT 211 Logisticare 1-888-248-9895 Guiding Path Warmline: 1-860-482-1783 or 1-800-314-2680 5pm-10pm 7 days per week National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255 Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline 1-888-999-5545 En Español 1-888-999-8332 Crisis 1-866-794-0021

Dentists in Waterbury Who take Husky Health Staywell Health Center 203-597-9044 South Main Street 203-756-8021 Phoenix Avenue Community Health Center 203-574-4000 Columbia Dental 1-866-645-0111 Statewide # for Opioid (Opiate) Dependence 1-800-563-4086 You will be linked with walk-in assessment centers

4

Get involved in the movement for #PaidLeave4CT On the cusp of change, paid leave is now central in the national debate and Connecticut has been identified as one of the handful of states to make it a legislative priority in 2018. Impacting women, mothers, working families and caregivers, The United States and Papua New Guinea are the only countries in the world without a paid leave law.

Most Americans agree that family comes first. You should be able to welcome a new child, to care for your mother when she has her knee replaced or to heal from cancer without facing financial disaster. The crisis is bleak for new mothers. Nearly 1 in 4 mothers return to work within two weeks of having a baby. Without paid leave, new mothers are 40% more likely to need food stamps or public assistance.

Weaving powerful stories together with insightful interviews from leading policy makers, economists, researchers and activists, ZERO WEEKS lays out a compelling argument for guaranteed paid leave from an emotional, medical, financial and global perspective. ZERO WEEKS is the fourth documentary by award-winning director, Ky Dickens, a female director, with a track record for creating poignant work known for shifting policy and public opinion. Dickens was inspired to make a film about paid leave, after facing financial depletion, emotional turmoil and guilt of having “not enough time,” due to a lack of paid leave, after the birth of her first child.

The Women’s consortium is holding a screening of ‘Zero Weeks’ on March 8th at 6pm. If you can’t make it join us at the IC on March 8th, we will discuss the new movement and ways we can celebrate and empower women!

Legislative advocacy 101 workshops are available at the IC every Thursday at 11am in the month of March.

Attend this 4-week Workshop and learn how to have your voice heard on a state level. Learn what legislative advocacy is, facts about our government, how legislators are influenced, how your story is important. At the end of the four weeks, there will be a celebration and certificate of completion.

Mending Art was thrilled to have Guest Artist Jason Werner visit this winter! Jason shared stories and paintings from his walks in the woods with his dog. Jason talked about the different series of paintings he has worked on and explained his painting process. IC Artists had the opportunity to ask questions and share what they saw and felt in Jason’s art. We look forward to seeing more of Jason’s work in the future!

Thank you to Thomaston Public Library for showcasing Mending Art during the month of February and to all the IC Artists who shared their work!

Join us for a birthday bash on the 28th at 3:00 p.m.!

5

“I have always had an artistic hand and blessed with a natural ability to draw what I see. However, a chance glance on the internet while printing coloring pages for my daughter got me interested in the art form Zentangle® and rekindled my passion to start drawing again. My artwork is very intuitive and I do not think much before I start. I see patterns everywhere and often sketch them out to try how they look. I particularly enjoy drawing Botanical patterns and it reflects in most of my works. I try to pick themes that connect with people of all age groups. First thing that people would notice about my work are the intricate line work and detailed patterns. I love using Tangle Patterns Mooka, Cresent moon, Sand swirl, Tipple and Sanibelle in all my art work. I like adding gold and silver accents to add glitter & shine to my creations.

Nature's cryptic and repetitive patterns inspire me - the symmetric scales on the fish, the veins on our hands, the surfing waves, the roots and branches of the trees, the swirly shell of the snail, the geometric shapes on the shell of the tortoise - everything inspire me. It's my attempt to capture all of them in simple drawings that all of us can relate to.

The IC is excited to offer free training for interested members to learn customer service and reception skills. Members who complete this course will receive a certificate and have the opportunity to practice what they learned at the front desk.

You can utilize these skills in a future job or enhance what you already know!

See Jayne more details.

My works have been displayed at Gallery 153, Manchester, Aetna, Open Studio Hartford, Ekphrasis , Art in the Park Manchester, Silk City Arts Festival , " Mending Art " Exhibition by MHC 's Independence Center (Mental Health of ConnecticutIC ).My works have found happy homes and it pleases me to feel that I am reaching out to people.” –Pratima Bhargav Prathima moved to the Manchester, CT in Aug 2016 from Bengaluru, India. She lives here with her husband and daughter. She is an HR professional by qualification and an artist by passion. She is a self-taught artist who is "Inspired by the Zentangle® method of pattern drawing.” Attending a beginner’s workshop with Cheryl Cianci (CZT) further strengthened her artistic journey.

We are dedicating this edition of Great Strides to remember the members of the club we lost soon.

Remembering dear friends we've lost, our hearts are with the families of anyone who's lost someone close this year. In particular we will always remember James, Carol, and Mary.

6

Come join the IC during the month of March where we will be observing nutrition month. Look for the calendar on the different workshops and activities that will be available for members.

As for now the United Health Care website has given us some tips for the month of March on how to eat well and not spend so much of our money!

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be a pricey proposition. By planning ahead and buying smart, it’s possible to get more nutritional bang for your buck.

May the roof above us never fall in.

And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

Here are five smart strategies to help you do just that: 1. Make a money-saving menu - Check store fliers or websites to find out which healthy foods are on sale — and draw up a menu that features them. Once your menu is set, write a shopping list — and stick with it.

2. Shop in season - Not only are produce picks such as berries and tomatoes less expensive when they’re in season — they may also be more delicious. Another option? Take advantage of staples that tend to be inexpensive year-round, such as carrots, bananas, sweet potatoes and cabbage. Frozen and canned fruits and veggies can also be penny-wise picks. Look for those packaged without added sodium, fat and sugar.

3. Buy in bulk - You may find great deals on beans, whole grains, unsalted nuts and seeds in your market’s bulk section. In the meat section, look for family packs of fish and skinless chicken. Then freeze what you don’t need right away.

Wrap it well — and label it for future reference.

4. Be a now-and-then vegetarian - Going meatless even once a week can be budget-friendly. Make chili with black beans instead of your usual beef. You could even do breakfast for dinner. Veggie omelets, anyone?

5. Ward off waste - Pay attention to “sell by” or “best used by” dates so you know how long your food will stay fresh. Use highly perishable items first — and save the longer-lasting items for later in the week.

And if you have leftovers? Turn them into creative combos. Tuck extra roasted chicken into a sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch. Or fold leftover steamed veggies into a frittata or casserole.

Site: https://www.uhctools.com/t4w_nutrition-eat-healthy

May you have warm words on a cold evening, A full moon on a dark night, And the road downhill all the way to your door.

Bless you and yours As well as the cottage you live in.

May the roof overhead be well thatched And those inside be well matched.

7

Disclaimer: Articles which show “submitted by” are not written by an IC member.

They are articles that our members came across, were inspired by, and brought in to the Center to inspire and encourage other members.

Often the authors of these articles are unknown. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Independence Center’s members, the staff, or the Editor.

Congratulations to all of the IC Artists who received a Certificate of Accomplishment for their work in the Mending Art program! Keep creating!

If there is an area you would like to work on and grow with your art in the coming year please see Mending Art Coordinator, Amy Smith.