Issue Box Theatre would like to invite all conference attendees to an evening of theater by presenting two short works that explore issues related to gun violence. 26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa is about the small town of Newtown, Connecticut; home of Sandy Hook Elementary. The characters in this production (all adults) examine the effects of the shooting that took place in the elementary school on December 14, 2012. Lockdown by Douglas Craven takes place in a high school classroom during what may or may not be a school lockdown drill. The students undergo a wide range of emotions during their experience. There will also be a talk-back session with members of the casts of both shows following the performance.

Performance Information:

Location: Rehearsal Hall at University of Toledo’s Center for Performing Arts- 1919 W Rocket Drive

Date & Time: Thursday, September 20th @ 7:00 pm

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This exhibit involves visual art collaboration between a variety of consumer artists and social service workers from major community mental health organizations in the Toledo area. Each of these organizations has built art interventions into their services. The art in this exhibit was inspired by an open call based on a quote by Alexander Papaderos, a peace activist and scholar: "I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world -- into the black places in the hearts of men -- and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."

Exhibit Objectives:

·  Consider how communities can honor and respect the insights of those with mental illness.

·  Identify the impact of art interventions on healing.

·  Demonstrate the power of creative writing, art, and photography to raising awareness about injustice.

·  Counter stereotypes about mental illness and understand how disrupting stereotypes is crucial in erasing implicit bias.

·  Inspire agencies to provide art interventions that encourage connection and better understanding of mental illness.

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This exhibit features a survivor artist, Leigh Pinkleman. This will be the fourth year that the Human Trafficking and Social Justice conference has featured a survivor artist. So far, the exhibit has highlighted the experiences of surviving sex trafficking, childhood sexual abuse, and partner suicide. Art has been in the form of painting, sculpture, and poetry. This exhibit is the result of an open call for art with a due date of March 30 for submission. A small group of the art and social justice committee for the conference will help to choose from the artists that have submitted work.

Exhibit Objectives:

·  Consider how communities can honor and respect the insights of survivors.

·  Identify the impact of art interventions on resilience and survival.

·  Demonstrate the power of art in raising awareness about experiences of injustice.

·  Inspire survivor artists to share their work with the community and to provoke the audience to use art as a catalyst for empathy for all that have survived cruelty.

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This exhibit is based on an open call for art sent to a variety of art studios in the state of Ohio dedicated to the artwork of adults with developmental disabilities. The theme of this is exhibit, “Make the Truth Irresistible” is from an Audre Lorde quote, “June Jordan once said something which is just wonderful. I’m paraphrasing her – that her function as a poet was to make revolution irresistible. Well ok, that is the function of us all, as creative artists, is to make the truth irresistible.”

Exhibit Objectives:

·  Consider how communities can honor and respect the insights of adults with developmental disabilities.

·  Identify the impact of art interventions on wellbeing.

·  Demonstrate the power of creative writing, art, and photography to raising awareness about the experiences of having a disability in America.

·  Inspire artists with developmental disabilities to share their work with the community and to counter stereotypes about individuals with intellectual disabilities.

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This exhibit involves creative writing collaboration between UT students from the medical and social work professions and high school students from Rogers High School. The students write creatively on a weekly basis using multiple writing prompts from images to research on social separation. The sophomore group focused on memoir writing and the juniors' autoethnographic research on social separation. Themes developed from this writing about mysteries and monsters and the realities of expectations, acceptance, observation, and societal norms. The insights from these creative writing groups are helpful to better understand disconnects that happen between community members and providers.

Exhibit Objectives:

·  Encourage communities to honor and respect the insights of young people.

·  Identify the impact of social separation in the United States and how it contributes to health disparities.

·  Demonstrate the power of creative writing, art, and photography to raise awareness about injustice and to counter stereotypes about youth.

·  Inspire future social work and artists collaboration.

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