The art of staying alive,
People who use harm reduction program ‘have a story to tell,’ worker says
Long before he walked into the harm reduction office at Somerset West Community Health Centre, Tyson Haller roamed the streets of Sarajevo to record the rebuilding of postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He captured hundreds of moments on film, but it’s the words of one teenage boy that he committed to memory.
“He said in Bosnian, ‘I’ll do whatever I can just to stay alive.’ I carried that thought in my mind,” Haller said.
When a harm reduction and outreach worker began encouraging clients to submit art for a small exhibit in the health centre, Haller was ready with a title for the project: A Way of Staying Alive.
“I thought the name would work well with what this program is offering — it helps people stay alive emotionally and physically and spiritually,” he said.
Haller has used the walkin clinic and harm reduction program. He is also a documentary filmmaker and photographer.
Some of his portraits now hang outside the office where men and women come to pick up sterile needles and safer inhalation supplies for crack pipes.
Inside the office, colourful sketches from other clients of the Needle Exchange Safer Inhalation program hang framed on the wall.
The harm reduction program at the centre on Eccles Street is one of more than a dozen in the city that provide information and clean
‘Everybody has the capacity to change their lives. And if art can help that process — all the power to it.’
TYSON HALLER
supplies to help prevent the spread of disease — mainly HIV and hepatitis C.
“A lot of people come in and want to just get their supplies and get out. It’s more soothing when there’s things on the wall. It’s not so sterile,” Haller said. “Everybody has the capacity to change their lives. And if art can help that process — all the power to it.”
The concept of art as therapy is nothing new. What’s unique is that the centre is showcasing the talent while also offering a point of sale.
Stan Kupferschmidt launched the art project in December. As a harm reduction and outreach worker, he works inside the centre and on the street to build relationships with those who use drugs.
“Having it up on the wall — it’s also humanizing,” Kupferschmidt said. “Regardless of what they’re coming in for — harm reduction supplies or medical services — they’re more than just a number. They have a story to tell and they’re creative and talented individuals.”
Kupferschmidt is recruiting more clients to make and contribute art.
The hope is for a larger exhibit off-site, likely with contributions from clients of another downtown community health centre.
“When people see the artwork, the conversation starts about creativity. So and so used to paint or draw but kind of stopped doing it, hasn’t thought about it,” Kupferschmidt said.
The art project works to break down stereotypes — both for people who are part of the program and those who are looking at it from the outside, Haller said.
“People who come here initially to access the program have mental health issues. Let them be creative to show that they’re more than just a person with a mental health issue or a drug issue,” Haller said.
“It’s slowly changing. It’s evolving. People are taking a different look at addiction.”