LEWISTON, ME (September 15, 2022) — The 2022 – 2023 Lewiston Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) membership recently held its first meeting, and the group decided to first focus on mental health awareness.  Each shared concerns they have, in particular about their peers who have struggled throughout the pandemic, as well as in current situations in their lives. The group is also interested in Lewiston’s growing public art scene and would like to boost mental health awareness through artwork.

 As such, the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council is putting out a “call for artists of all ages” to forward them a photograph, sketch, painting, or graphic design (not over 11 x 14 in size) in an effort to educate community members about mental health; remind viewers they “matter,” and hopefully help break the stigma that often surrounds individuals with mental health challenges.  

Submissions may be mailed to the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council at the City Administrator’s Office, Lewiston City Hall, 27 Pine Street, Lewiston. A brief video (under 3 minutes) may also be submitted at dottie@lewistonmaine.gov.  A title; one or two sentences explaining the piece; and contact name, number, and email should accompany each submission.  

Submissions that are selected by LYAC will be displayed at a fall community forum (date TBD), where speakers and mental health advocates will also be on site to share and interact with others.  The deadline to submit artwork is October 5, 2022. 

Artwork submitted will become the property of LYAC, and LYAC has the sole discretion as to whether a submission is accepted for forum display. If a submission is chosen for display, the artist will be contacted for completion of an art release form. Depending on response, LYAC may also develop the submissions as a traveling exhibit at places that would like to display the work, such as perhaps a school.

 LYAC’s Feysal Abdirahaman notes, “Mental health can impact all of us. The challenges are real, and they can happen to anybody. Others may be oblivious to what others are experiencing, but it’s very real.”

LYAC’s Ava Golder agrees, “It’s important that people dealing with mental health concerns not be dismissed.”

 Corinne Rosario, also an LYAC member, says, “It’s important for people’s voices to be expressed and truly heard.” 

LYAC hopes that themes depicted in the artwork will include kindness, personal experience, encouragement, and respect for others.