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Reflect and Connect Kit

Reflect and Connect: Art Mends Kit is a specially made art kit in collaboration with local artist Leah Grant and therapist Joi McGowan. Reflect and Connect invites you to create space for your personal journey through participatory prompts by Joi and Leah who weave together perspectives on poetry, writing, reflection, collage, and mental health. The kit includes a poster of Leah’s artwork, art supplies, poetry cards, and an informational guide with mental health resources, reflections, and artmaking prompts created by Leah and Joi. The downloadable information guide is available here.

We hope this helps inspire your own exploration of mental health, wellness, and social connecting through art. Art Mends is part of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s long-term commitment to activate positive community change.

  • 1500 free Reflect and Connect art kits will be distributed throughout Northwest Arkansas to provide an essential resource on mental health for public libraries, counseling centers, shelters, and health facilities.

Reflect and Connect: Art Mends Kit is a continuation of our 2020 Art Mends Series.

Reflect and Connect Kit Instructions

Learn more about the process of making a collage guided by artist Leah Grant using materials from the Reflect and Connect: Art Mends Kit.

About the Reflect and Connect Kit creators

Artist Leah GrantLeah Grant lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas where she is currently an MFA candidate in the School of Art at the University of Arkansas. She graduated with her BFA from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Leah incorporates collage techniques and images from a personal archive to recontextualize her experiences through a lace web that allows her to reveal and conceal the vulnerable parts of her identity. Her background is in printmaking, but she also utilizes photography, writing, audio, and video in her art practice.

Joi McGowanJoi McGowan, MA MHC, LAC, EFT-Trained, is a local therapist and a local community activist. She serves as the secretary for the NWA NAACP Branch #60AC. She is passionate about helping others heal from trauma wounds and making meaning of their past. She strongly believes that identity, belonging, and dignity are key to healing trauma wounds. You can connect with her for therapy at thejoshuacenter.com.