Posted on 16 October 2025 by Chris Brown.
We don’t think we’re overstating it when we say the art currently on display on our lower level is some of the most inspiring we’ve ever had here.
It’s the Recovery Creative Artworks exhibition, pieces done by people in recovery and treatment at Medicine Hat Recovery Centre. Megan Pollard, a recreation therapist at the centre, writes that the artworks “help engage clients in creative projects to help express their understanding of substance use and recovery.”
Wings of hope is the centrepiece of the exhibition. The feathers are designed by clients who have come through the centre’s treatment program over the past year. Each feather represents someone those people have lost or is a message of hope and love. When placed together on the backdrop the feathers form a set of angel wings, and when a person stands in front of it they appear to be wearing the wings.
A handful of masks in display cases are another exhibition highlight. An individual project, the outside of each mask represents how the artist thinks other people see them while the inside is how they see or feel about themselves.
There are also large-scale banner projects that clients collaborated on, and individual works including spirit boxes and puzzle pieces.
Pollard writes that it has been amazing to see clients discover their creative selves in recovery and learn more about who they are.
“I truly believe that every person has the ability to be creative and express themselves through art. One of my greatest joys is seeing people discovering their gifts, talents and skills through any kind of creative outlet.”
Information about the Medicine Hat Recovery Centre is available at the exhibition, on display through October.
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