September 23rd, 2023 - October 28th, 2023

Wave Pool teams up with The Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation, 1N5, and WordPlay, to host STAY ALIVE / MAKE ART / CINCINNATI, a candy-colored PARTICIPATORY EXHIBITION that addresses adolescent mental health and addiction issues using hands-on inter-actives, public engagements, and creative activities.

STAY ALIVE / MAKE ART / CINCINNATI is inspired by the work of Amos Lemon Burkhart, a young artist who died as a result of drugs and alcohol in 2018. His work is the backbone of the show and the multilayered, neon-colored works in the Foundation’s collection, are dense with images and words that paint a picture of his turbulent inner life—resonating powerfully with teens.

In combination with the art, there will be multiple activities for kids and adults to engage with by reflecting, reading, writing, adding elements to artwork, creating their own response pieces, playing games and contributing to a community Q-and-A wall. The activities are based on evidence-based strategies for prevention and resilience and cover topics including suicide, substance use, and tools that strengthen mental health. These tricky topics are delivered in colorful, engaging ways that are appropriate for teens. Inspired by immersive art experiences like Meow Wolf and Wonderspaces, the exhibit is designed to start conversations and encourage repeat visits.

In partnership with the artwork on view at Wave Pool, 1N5 (1n5.org) will be offering two public training sessions about teen mental health.

This project is supported by a generous grant from ArtsWave in concert with Hamilton County Youth Employment and Talbert House, to fund a local Youth Art Team of 16-18 year old artists. The Youth Art Team members will receive training and work as facilitators, with mentoring by team leaders who are college-age and over.

Programming