Forty-two multimedia pieces fill two West Baton Rouge Museum galleries to ignite conversations on addiction. The artist, Ben Peabody, uses his art as an educational recourse as well as an outlet for his own recovery.
“It’s out of control,” Peabody says. “Our addicted society and the death rates here in Baton Rouge is at its height.”
Louisiana has one of the highest overdose rates in the nation, ranking 11th overall, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
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In the exhibit titled “Art and Addiction”, running now til June 4 under the same name as the artist’s 2018 book, Peabody addresses the region’s drug issues through multimedia artwork that tells his and others’ stories of addiction that took place over the course of more than 20 years. The idea for the exhibit all started in a Baton Rouge Community College classroom. Peabody was an administrator and art instructor at the time, and was vocal about his recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. His students encouraged him to use art to spread his message and raise awareness.
“The more you can tell, the more you can help,” Peabody says today. “So I try not to hold anything back. I’ve just about told all my secrets. They’ve all been exposed, which is a good feeling.”
Peabody incorporates a childhood memory at the carnival into several of his pieces in the exhibit. He recalls his father spending hundreds of dollars on one carnival game out of frustration, and in the end, they walked away with nothing but tears and defeat.
“It relates back to the story that we all think we’re going to win some situations, but sometimes we don’t win,” Peabody says of the exhibit.
Viewers can also see his “Your Ticket to the Deadliest Show on Earth,” a three-dimensional piece that focuses on emojis the Drug Enforcement Administration has said are the most commonly used by those ordering drugs online. Its caption reads: “Fentanyl-laced drugs are available to anyone with a smartphone.”
Not only does Peabody want to spark a conversation of addiction, he wants to show people the impact art therapy has had in his own recovery.
“I found once I was able to tell someone or get (memories) out in a piece of art, (the memories) lost that magnitude of how powerful they were and how destructive they were to me,” Peabody says. “I’m exposing this to other people to say, ‘Here’s an avenue for you to have a better, happy life.’”
Each piece in the exhibit took Peabody about a month to three months of daily work to complete. He says he won’t sell the exhibit artwork, and wants to continue using them to share recovery stories and increase addiction awareness.
“This is what I need to be doing with my life,” Peabody says. “I need to be trying to make a difference in the world with my artwork”
In addition to the art on display, Peabody and the museum have set up a resourse table and several events to coincide with the exhibit.
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On May 20, the West Baton Rouge Museum is hosting expressive art specialist Tamlin Allbritten to promote art into recovery journeys. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Allbritten will give a free lecture and host a hands-on workshop with participants.
Other scheduled “Art and Addiction” exhibit events will include Parent 411: A Healthy Conversation About Addiction Awareness, Recovery, and Prevention on May 4, which will guide parents and caregivers on how they can use Peabody’s art as an educational tool. Peabody, Dr. Brian Benson (the founder and CEO of Salubre Care) and a special guest will share warning signs, resources and testimonies, as well as give out free Narcan kits. A talk from the subject of Peabody’s “Shake N’ Bake” piece, which is featured in the exhibit, is also scheduled for June 1. Check the museum website for updates.
“Art and Addiction” is running at the West Baton Rouge Museum through June 4 in the Whitehead and Brick Galleries. The museum is located at 845 N. Jefferson Avenue in Port Allen and admission is free.