Today, Active Minds will host an art show in Strebel Lounge to celebrate mental health awareness and getting rid of the stigma behind mental illness.

The art show is a way to start the conversation about how personal the mental health struggle is, what the struggle looks like and the ways people overcome. It gives people an opportunity to talk about the things that are hardest to talk about in a more expressive way.

Lukus Becker, an organizer and founder of Active Minds, described the event as “an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the rest of the UC community to display a piece of artwork relating to the topic of mental health. This is to offer an opportunity to express the topic of mental health in a format that we aren’t always able to publicly, especially when it is something too difficult to put into words or conversation.”

This event was hosted last year to great success. Faculty, staff and students displayed put work on display and attended to enjoy the art and engage with organizers.

“I created the event last year because I always wanted to create an event that really tied the whole campus together on a topic that was something everyone could relate to,” Becker said. “I also don’t believe that there was an event that was this style of an opportunity that everyone can take part in.”

Mercedes Steele is also an Active Minds member and attended the event last year.

“Personally I love the art show,” she said. “I love the message, the atmosphere and the artwork. I love seeing how others portray what they feel onto paper, and for some, on a canvas. Showing those darkest moments to the ones that could be the happiest. It’s all amazing. I’m grateful that people are willing to show these pieces because for some it could be really hard. Showing these pieces really creates a viewing of how someone could be struggling.”