Local gallery features work from artists in recovery from substance use disorder

Fresh A.I.R Gallery, located at 131 N. High St., displays work from artists in recovery from substance use disorder and other mental health problems. Credit: Courtesy of Fresh A.I.R. Gallery

Fresh A.I.R. Gallery emphasizes the idea that art can aid in recovery efforts. 

A.I.R. stands for “Artists in Recovery,” and the gallery — located at 131 N. High St. — was founded by Southeast Healthcare in 2004 with the mission of using art to help patients with substance use disorder and other mental health problems. Myken Pullins, public affairs director of Fresh A.I.R. Gallery, said the idea to open a gallery that would allow artists to focus on art and recovery came from Bill Lee, the current CEO of Southeast Healthcare.

“Fresh A.I.R. has a mission, and it’s to exhibit the artwork of individuals affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders,” Pullins said. “So, through art we educate the community and work to break down the stigma of mental illness and substance use by focusing on the artistic vision.” 

More than 300 artists have shown their work through various solo and group exhibitions, an opportunity that Fresh A.I.R. provides to patients and any other artists struggling with mental illnesses or substance use, according to the Southeast Healthcare website.

“I think it is an outlet for a lot of people who have struggled with mental health and substance use,” Pullins said. “It occupies their time when somebody is in recovery from addiction, and they are working every day at their recovery.”

Fresh A.I.R. Gallery is also unique from other galleries in Columbus because of its nonprofit status. It receives grant funding from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the city of Columbus and Franklin County, and Pullins said this allows all profits from the artwork to go directly back to the artist. 

“We give all of it back; we help the artists along with the process of exhibiting, and that includes sales pricing, brokering, the deal working with collectors, really getting the artists out there and marketing their work,” Pullins said. 

Rebecca Gonzalez-Bartoli, an artist who has shown her work at Fresh A.I.R. Gallery, said she needed to find a mental health facility for her ongoing struggle with mental illness after moving to Columbus six years ago.

Gonzalez-Bartoli said she sought treatment at Southeast Healthcare where she first learned about Fresh A.I.R. Gallery and its mission.

“When you go through mental health struggles, you experience a lot of grief. Grief of, like, the future you thought you’re going to have no longer happening and losing things like connections and friendships and, basically, your future,” Gonzalez-Bartoli said. “Knowing there’s a place for me in Columbus that supports artists who go through these struggles, it’s been life-changing for me.”

Gonzalez-Bartoli said she considers herself a lifelong artist and has been creating since elementary school. Her favorite medium is painting, and she has had several paintings displayed by Fresh A.I.R. Gallery, she said. 

“With painting, you can really just splatter paint on the canvas and build something from nothing, and I think that’s really special,” Gonzalez-Bartoli said. 

By working with Fresh A.I.R. Gallery, Gonzalez-Bartoli said she has learned she wants to use her art as a platform to share her story and the stories of others who have struggled with similar issues. 

“That’s something I want to make into a career,” Gonzalez-Bartoli said. “I want to be able to share my story — share stories of people in recovery — while also selling my art and exhibiting my art, and just trying to get my message out as much as possible that, you know, recovery is possible, and you can have a really bright future even if your prognosis is pretty scary.”

Due to the pandemic, Fresh A.I.R.’s main gallery is closed. However, the gallery has been displaying artwork and shows at SEEN Studios — located at 289 W. Walnut St. — according to its website. Artists interested in submitting work can also do so on the gallery’s submission page.