ART CAN HEAL TOO! –

Sept. 23, 2022 – “Too often, we see people suffering in silence,” said Emily Norton Ashinhurst, executive director of the Irish Diaspora Center, which organized the one-night display.

But on Thursday evening, the 100-plus figures illuminated Dilworth Plaza and were surrounded by people committed to normalizing conversation about and treatment for mental illness. The one-night exhibit, called Lights in the Darkness, was the culmination of a month-long community program to raise awareness about mental health organized by the Irish Diaspora Center of Philadelphia, a Havertown-based immigrant support organization. As part of the initiative, Philadelphia-area residents touched by mental illness or suicide were invited to work with Irish artist Tom Meskell to create a life-size sculpture.

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