Building Bridges: From Isolation to Connection
Welcome to the Community
Welcome. Welcome to a space that recognizes and celebrates creativity in all forms. Welcome to the conversation. Welcome to the opportunity to witness and support one another's vulnerability and self expression.
As you scroll through each piece below, take a moment and notice what you observe within yourself.
Hold that observation with curiosity and compassion. Perhaps you will notice a resonance, a reminder that others share your experience. And you can remember that you are not alone.
Artist: Amy Shilling (she/her)
Titles (from left to right): "Save Me" and "Inner Frequency"
Medium: Graphite
“Save ME” — A Mental Health Piece
Mental health can feel like being trapped in an endless cycle of your own thoughts, pretending everything is okay when, deep down, you’re struggling to find a way out. “Save ME” captures the breaking point when you realize you can no longer ignore your pain. It represents the moment you choose to fight for yourself, break the cycle, and take back control of your life. Sometimes, saving yourself begins with acknowledging that you need help and choosing to take that first step. Because you deserve to save yourself, even when you feel like no one else can.
Inner Frequency
Music brings the soul alive. The frequencies that surround us hold incredible power, shaping our emotions, inspiring healing, and fueling personal growth. Inner Frequency represents the deep connection between music and my own journey of growth, reminding us that sometimes the right frequency can change everything
Contact -
Facebook - Amy's Art Page
Artist: April VanGelderen (she/ her)
Title: Renaissance at Night
Medium: Photography
“The inspiration was from a 1st time personal vacation. I am disabled and it took forever to be able to go.
I saw the Renaissance Center from down the road and I thought it would be a great memory.
I love photography as one of my many hobbies and I sometimes will go out and about to get photos for my Instagram or share. Some I take and print copies to just have around.”
Artist: Brandon Halloway (he/they)
Documentary and Street Photographer from Detroit
Titles: Untitled
Medium: Photography
“I have a very humanist approach to documenting people and the various cultures in diverse cities like Detroit and New York. My main inspiration is people, chasing that fleeting moment, and creating a photograph that elicits emotion.”
Contact -
Email: hollowayb437@gmail.com
Instagram - @brandonholloway_
Artist: Britt Biddinger (she/her/they)
Titles: A Love Like that
Use Your Imagination Well
Discover
The Limit Does Not Exist
Motto
Mediums: Acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media
"I'm 33, BS in Psych and a Cosmetology license and I live in the Okemos area.I love to experiment and enjoy the artistic process wherever it leads. I've been exhibited a few times previously, but primarily on a very small, local scale. My work is usually colorful, often pretty or silly, and has been described as non-denominational motivational because I love to make a piece with a purpose or a message."
Contact -
Instagram - @thetechnicolorist
Artist: Duane Montney Jr. (he/him)
Titles: Consumed By Guilt
Medium: Charcoal
“I created this piece in charcoal pencil while I was in prison doing a term of 50 to 75 yrs for a crime I committed at the age of 16. I was released from prison in November of 2023 after completing nearly 33 years.
For me art and good friends and family helped me survive. I used my art as self examination and to have those hard conversations that have lead me to be a productive citizen once again.”
Contact:
Email: duanemontney@gmail.com
Artist: Jessica Setter (she/her)
Titles (from top left to bottom right): The Circus, Teeming with Life, Ace of Wands, A Fresh Spirit
"“The Circus”. 18x24 inches. Graphite, Ink and Alcohol Marker on Paper. is a piece I created in exploration of my maximalism. I wanted it to be this overwhelming experience where it’s difficult to differentiate boundaries of objects. To overwhelm the senses and have the audience entertained at this supply of everything and anything.
“Teeming With Life”18x24 inches. Graphite, and alcohol marker on paper. This piece imagines a world where giants have fallen and their organic matter is returning to the earth. Reshaping landscapes and rebuilding forests.
“Ace of Wands”. 11x14 inches. Graphite, Ink and Alcohol Marker on Paper. In my pursuit of building a tarot deck I created this drawing for the Ace of Wands. I wanted a challenge of drawing the detail of hands in their most bare bones form.
“A Forest Spirit”. 18x24 inches. Graphite and Ink on Paper. I created this piece after practicing drawing mushrooms for a few years. I wanted to finally use their organic forms to create something on my large sketchbook, to challenge myself."
Contact:
Artist: Jus Daniel (he/him)
Title (from left to right): Ever After, The Weight of Justice
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Both 60x60 and completed in 2020
Artist: Michaela Montney (she/her)
Title: Where the Earth Touches the Sky
"This painting was inspired by hope and self love of fighting the battle of childhood traumas to climbing the mountains of finding passions and breaking generational traumas and curses for my children. The world i grew up in was dark but now the colors of earth stand out bringing the earth to the sky where it touches showing the journey of life's biggest climb.
I used vibrant purples, blues and greens to create a dreamlike landscape where light pours into the valley reminding us that beauty and renewal can exist even after the toughest battles of life and self healing. This piece invites the viewers to pause, breathe, and remember how far you've made it in this beautiful life. Don't look back; keep climbing."
Contact:
Facebook: Michaela Montney
Instagram: @michaelamontney15
Artist Name: Ondarella (she/her)
Titles (Left to right): Blue Tansy Tears, Geranium Surprise
Contact:
Artist: Questian (he/him)
Titles (top left to bottom right): Element Toucans, Purple Tartan, Startile, Zigzag Neon
"
"All works represent community diversity through a spectrum of color.
Print purchase inquiries may be directed to Instagram or Email."
Contact:
Email: questian1@gmail.com
Instagram: @questianarts
Artist: Sarah Britt (she/her)
The artist behind Cottagecore Dreams, a cozy snail mail club
Titles (from top left to bottom right): Fall Owl, Quiet Fawn, Happy. Mushroom, Shy Chanterelle
Medium: Linocut prints from my original hand drawings
Contact:
Website: www.snailmailhq.com/cottagecoredreams
Artist: Taryn Keck (she/her)
Titles (top to bottom): The World Simply Wasn't Built for Me, Every Seat Has a Story
Mediums: watercolor, multimedia
“A World Simply Not Built for Me” is deeply personal. I was born hard of hearing and spent much of my life feeling caught between two worlds—not quite fitting into the hearing world, while also navigating what it meant to be part of the Deaf community. After years of surgeries and changes in my hearing, I have been learning to embrace my identity and recognize that being different does not mean being broken. This piece represents the barriers people with disabilities face in a world that often overlooks accessibility and inclusion. It is a reminder that sometimes the problem isn’t the person, but the world around them.
“Every Seat Has a Story” expands on that message. While my experience with deafness inspired my perspective, this piece represents something much bigger: the belief that every person has a story worth hearing and a place where they belong. People with disabilities are too often defined by what makes them different rather than who they are. I wanted this artwork to encourage people to look beyond appearances and disabilities and recognize the shared humanity that connects us all.
Together, these pieces reflect my hope that art can start conversations, challenge perspectives, and help people see accessibility and inclusion differently. I want my work to remind people that everyone deserves to be seen, understood, and welcomed—not because they have overcome something, but simply because they are human."
Artist: Lobelia
Titles: Neon Lullaby (top left)
Cheryl Charmed (bottom left)
Red Room Hymn (right)
Medium: acrylic
"My work often begins with an image, a vision, or a feeling that resonates within me. Some of my pieces are commissioned works developed from researched imagery, while others are personal reinterpretations of existing references. Rather than simply reproducing what I see, I allow my imagination to intervene, transforming the initial image into something that reflects my own artistic perspective. The influence of the original may remain visible, but the finished work becomes a distinct expression through my interpretation.
I am drawn to expressive brushwork, particularly the movement and intensity found in Vincent van Gogh’s paintings. Although my own approach leans toward Neo-Expressionism, I admire the way his deliberate, directional strokes communicate emotion and give his subjects a sense of movement beyond the image itself.
My decisions to blend unexpected shades, build texture, and leave visible marks are all intentional. I want the viewer to feel something, not simply observe something. While a smooth, polished surface can be beautiful, I am drawn to the rawness of a painting that reveals its own making. By allowing the brushstrokes and textures to remain present, I invite the viewer beyond the surface and into the feeling behind the work."
Contact:
Website: https://zobella-portfolio.my.canva.site/
Instagram: @Zobella32
Artist: Maliyah James, aka Moneesart
Detroit based artist
Mediums: acrylic, oil, colored pencils
"My creative style aims at my vision of the beauty of black women and women period, with colors that symbolize peace , calmness , comfort, and growth."
