The Into Light Project

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The INTO LIGHT Project: Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories

The Into Light Project, a national non-profit, creates public exhibitions of original portraits and individual stories of people who have died from the disease of drug addiction in locations around the country. Our mission is to change the conversation about drug addiction through the power of original art and story. Our exhibition, entitled Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories, consists of 41 original graphite portraits of people who have died from drug addiction/poisoning in the state where the exhibition is held. A professionally written narrative about the lives of the individuals in the exhibition accompanies each portrait.The original, professionally framed portrait and a catalog of the narratives of each of the individuals in the exhibition is gifted to the family of the deceased at the end of the exhibition.

Devin Hart Bearden

What We Do

  • Organize Exhibitions

    Organize Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories, exhibitions representing each of the 50 states.

  • Put a Human Face on the Disease

    We put a human face on the disease of addiction through hand-drawn portraits and written narratives.

  • Educate

    Educate the public about drug addiction as a disease.

  • Change the Conversation about Drug Addiction

    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.

How We Do It

  • Partner with Local Communities

    Partner with Local Communities to host Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories exhibitions and provide education about substance use disorders.

  • Collaborate with a team of artists and writers

    Collaborate with a team of artists and writers to create a series of portraits and narratives representing each state in the country.

  • Engage local and national media

    Engage local and national media in conversation about each Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories exhibit to provide education about the stigma and shame around substance use disorder and show the far-reaching implications of drug addiction on families and communities

  • Gift the original portrait and narrative catalog

    Gift the original portrait and narrative catalog to the families of those lost so their story can continue to be shared.

INTO LIGHT Project Maryland | Notre Dame of MD University, Baltimore, MD
Into Light Exhibit
INTO LIGHT Project Maryland | Notre Dame of MD University, Baltimore, MD.

Our Goals

  • Erase Stigma

    Erase stigma by highlighting the shared humanity of all people and reduce the judgement of those with substance use disorder (SUD). 

  • Educate the Public

    Provide education about the scope of the drug epidemic in the US and about drug additction as a disease.

  • Hold a National Exhibition Event

    Combine all 50 state exhibitions into a national multi-media event.

Support The INTO LIGHT Project

"Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."

- Prem Chodon

Donations support the work of The INTO LIGHT Project to produce our exhibit, Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories. We bring awareness to substance use disorder (SUD) as a brain disease, help to change the conversation about drug addiction, and work to erase the stigma and shame associated with it.

Support
Into Light Project is a registered 501(C)(3) Organization
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The INTO LIGHT PROJECT

Bring an Exhibit to Your State

Interested in bringing The INTO LIGHT Project to your State? Find out how you can make this happen. If you have questions about becoming an ambassador, or how to bring an exhibit to your state, please contact us.
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