Theresa talks about her personal journey with the loss of her son, Devin, and how INTO LIGHT Project came to be.
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Theresa Clower Founder
Artist I’ve had a long-time association with non-profits and have had the good fortune of establishing and directing a number of them over the past forty-some years. That experience, along with my attraction to the arts, has melded beautifully in forming INTO LIGHT PROJECT. I am not a professional artist. I had never done a portrait before attempting the first one of Devin. But something deep inside of me exploded. I can’t stop drawing faces! The tragic loss of my son, Devin, in Feb 2018 has presented me with a wonderful gift…INTO LIGHT PROJECT. Through this project, I am able to look into the eyes of so many wonderful people, many of them at the prime of their lives, and see the intensity of their compassion, kindness, spirit, zest, humor, their troubles, their pain, and so much more. I get to sit and visit with them quietly. I treasure this time and I hope that through the portraits that are produced, others can see that we are all more alike than different. Thank you. Devin, for leaving this gift for me to find. Peace, my son. How INTO LIGHT PROJECT was born Motivated by the death of her son, Devin, to an overdose of fentanyl, founder Theresa Clower took up portrait work as a way of working through her grief. After completing Devin’s portrait, she was inspired to find others who lived and died like her son and to show the extent of the drug epidemic through exhibits involving each State. She aspired to draw their portraits, tell their stories, and start a dialogue around the disease.
What We Do:
• PUT A HUMAN FACE on the disease of addiction through hand-drawn portraits and written narratives.
• CHANGE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT DRUG ADDICTION to help erase the stigma and shame so those with the disease will seek the quality care they need and deserve.
• EDUCATE the public about drug addiction as a disease.
• ORGANIZE EXHIBITIONS representing each of the 50 states. intolightproject.org
