The Arts Initiative is Second Chance Village’s creative recovery program. It treats making art as a real pathway toward stability, self-worth and belonging. People who have lived through homelessness, addiction, incarceration, family separation and other hard chapters get space, equipment, mentorship and a community to create with.
Why creative recovery
A person who would never walk into something labeled a recovery program might walk into a recording session. Someone who feels uneasy in a support group might help build a prop, paint, perform or work on an event. Once people are part of a community where they’re useful, known and expected to come back, relationships form. Those relationships become pathways to peer support, recovery resources, work, transportation and housing help.
The Arts Initiative is built into our peer support work, not added on to it. It runs alongside our Sharing Circles, the Mental Martial Arts Dojo and the Mobile Peer Support Club.
What participants do
- Music and recording: songwriting, recording and producing original music in our clubhouse studio.
- Visual art: drawing, painting, album and poster art, and collaborative pieces.
- Writing: lyrics, poetry, monologues and personal stories.
- Theatre Lab: character development, improvisation, vocal work, movement and performance.
- Puppetry and making: puppet building, costumes, props and other hands-on maker projects.
- Sharing the work: listening sessions, showcases and events where participants share what they’ve made.
Inside the Arts Initiative
Live music nights, recording sessions and maker projects.
The Neon Skeleton Candystore
The Neon Skeleton Candystore is the art collective that grew out of the Arts Initiative, led by founder and director Ryan Scanlon. Releases from the collective, including music written for adult listeners, are on The Neon Skeleton Candystore page.
Support the Arts Initiative
Donations pay for recording equipment, art supplies, studio time and showcase costs. Artists, musicians and makers who want to volunteer time or teach a skill are welcome to reach out.