Info about the Exhibit

Connected Through Covid: Our Experience is an exhibition about the struggles, fears, anxieties, and even the bright spots, experienced throughout this unprecedented time brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

During summer 2021, we gathered with a group of teens and young adults on the rooftop of Friendship Circle for several art-making workshops. They shared as a group what they have been going through, they processed their feelings about ordinary and milestone moments they missed out on, and they talked about navigating the dual, and complex, feelings of trauma, sadness, and fear with inner-strength, growth, and resilience. They shared that the pandemic brought about a number of unexpected bright spots like discovering important things about themselves and learning to be out of their comfort zones. The artwork in this exhibition interprets all of these experiences in a number of direct and metaphorical ways, as well as celebrates how it felt for them just to be together, to support each other, and to share their truths about how challenging this time has been.

Connected Through Covid: Our Experience draws inspiration from the art project, #Hearts Together, surrounding Tree of Life Or L’Simcha. At its core, the teens describe that Hearts Together is about demonstrating care, support, and love; the artwork literally embraces the building with messages of empathy, unity, and solidarity. The teens shared how profoundly they felt that care while enduring a time of loss, shock, and turmoil.

Understanding there are stigmas around talking about mental health, knowing it can be hard to name emotions, and being aware that it can feel as if their feelings are not understood, this exhibition is their way of reaching out through the power of art to others and showing love, care, and awareness about how complicated it has been throughout the pandemic to cope with all of the feelings and emotions as well as to adapt constantly to ever-evolving new normals.

Thanks to artists Avi Diamond, Savannah Graham, and Yafa Schnadower for their creative guidance.

Gratitude to the 10.27 Healing Partnership for leading conversations during the workshops around mental health.

Special thanks to The Friendship Circle and the JCC’s 2^nd Floor for facilitating this collaboration.

Appreciation to Kiyomi Knox at Center of Life for organizing the onsite art-making collaboration that accompanies the exhibition.

Quarantine by Lilly Adamo

What life feels like during COVID.

Quarantine by Lilly Adamo

What life feels like during COVID.

The Beginning - Collection of Artwork by Lyza Gonzalez

It is very important to note that the acrylic paintings started when I had a spiritual awakening. Prior to that I had never painted on a canvas before. Something lit up inside of me. And all of a suddenly I had something to show people. Something they were willing to see.

The Beginning

Untitled by Noa Shimshi

Being stuck inside kinda sucked, but we all tried to grow for the better because it really took a toll on everyone. Some people don't really remember how being inside for a year felt, yet some people think about how much it's affected their lives daily. From that we grow together, but separately.

Trying to Focus by

Rivkee Rudolph

My piece reflects the effort it took to focus on my nuclear family 's wellbeing during a time when there was so much going on around all of us. Even within one household, everyone experienced the year of isolation and the challenges and opportunities that it presented differently. Even while we we were isolated, we were so affected by what was going on beyond the six of us. Finally, within our small bubble of just the six of us, there emerged so much individual and collective growth through our experience together that will affect us (and those around us) forever.

Untitled by Juan Uribe

Untitled by Savannah Graham

Mirrored by Annoymous

mirrored is a piece that represents the messiness of the last year and a half. it is unfinished purposefully, representative of the unfinished business that covid has on our lives. it shows the same person or different people mirrored in two different situations, up for interpretation.

If We Talked by

Talia Rosenthal

So many times people feel alone because we convince ourselves that we are the only ones that feel the way we feel. But perhaps if we talked about how we felt, to ourselves, to others, we would see that we are not alone at all. That everyone struggles at some point, that it is okay to not be okay and maybe then no one would feel they need to hide their pain.

Untitled by Drew Riesmeyer

Would rather be braided together by the embrace of a hug

By Melissa Hiller

Mosiac of Emotions by Yafa Schnadower

Covid pushed me to explore different ways to live at home with my two young kids and my husband. Some days were shiny and some challenging. They all were different, like the colors of this daisy.

Wolfbrook Forest by Avi Diamond

Trio by Kaylee Uribe

My inspiration: Rachel Herskowitz; her nickname is TRIO and I made it keeping that nickname in mind

Additionally, I feel as if this painting puts some random things in one setting, but it works somehow. In light of covid-19, many different factors have come into play making me have to adjust.

Untitled by Noa Shimshi

COVID Coy by Kira Meyers and Madison Zunder

June by Annoymous

I'm usually more of a music artist than a visual one, but Friendship Circle gave me the tools and encouragement to try something new. "June" is inspired by my number one muse, my dog.

Instinct by Annoymous

"Instinct" was inspired by my favorite movie "Spirited Away," which was created by Hayao Miyazaki, a prolific Japanese artist and film maker. In the film, a young girl is lost in an unfamiliar town of spirits, and she must figure out how to free her parents who have been turned into pigs. The dragon character, Haku, symbolizes her instinct and leads her back to the correct path when she goes astray. This movie feels very relevant to the times we have been living through in the past year and a half. I hope that we all are able to locate our instincts to guide us through uncertain times.

Untitled by Ursula Brown

It started off as flowers surrounded by a dark circle to represent growth despite the darkness that Covid brought (both mental and physical). Now, the flowers are hidden under swirls and colors to represent chaos and the changes that the pandemic caused. The flowers are still slightly visibly underneath, showing that while it seemed like a long, hard time, we all grew and prospered/learned in different ways.

From the Isolation

by Maggie Feinstein

I created this while engaged in a great conversation at Friendship Circle with people about all that has been lost and gained in this experience, and also about what we expect out of others around us.

Sunflower- Annoymous

The importance of this painting is showing the isolation during this time, but also showing how there was going to be hope even when everyone thought there was no more hope. The isolation part of the piece is illustrated by the single sunflower. The hope/light of this illustrated by the sunflower itself. Mostly, when sunflowers are involved in an illustration, it shows happiness.

Pathways to Hope by

Elena Slesnick

A Chinchilla is being guided by fireflies through a long and dark cave. The fireflies offer a glowing light of hope during the seemingly endless path of darkness of the cave.

Unknown

Titanic by Tomas Bird

Grow by Ariel Stein

For me the pandemic was a time of looking inward, connecting with myself and my values, and honing in on how I want to show up in the world. If I had to choose one defining word to describe my pandemic experience I would choose growth- growth naturally occurs from overcoming the hard stuff, simply because you realize your internal strength and resiliency. Growth is nonlinear, reflected by my painting. It happens in both directions. I started with warm and fiery colors at the bottom because you can grow upward towards a calmness, or place of acceptance, which is represented by blue. You can also grow in the other direction, starting off cool or calm, and then life throws you a challenge. But there is power the fire, we use it to connect more deeply to our own humanity and ultimately to help others. That's growth too. The point is too never stop growing. The right corner is a reminder that the sun will come up again tomorrow, and represents the importance of "living in the today" or taking it "one day at a time". It also represents the idea that no matter how hard it may be we have power to go beyond ourselves and bring sunshine to others.

Madison Zunder

Crazy Cat by

Cara Paolicelli

This painting is a fun representation of an everyday feline friend!

Artist Instructor Corner

My Kids #1 by Yafa Shanadower

My family members were the only people I could see in person through the pandemic. We had a lot of fun activities online, but we really missed seeing our Friendship Circle friends in person.

My Kids #2 by Yafa Shanadower

My family members were the only people I could see in person through the pandemic. We had a lot of fun activities online, but we really missed seeing our Friendship Circle friends in person.

Dr. Santo Buccheri, Physician for over 35 years, RIP by Yafa Shanadower

I had the opportunity to contribute to the Hero Art Project by drawing portraits of the healthcare workers, like the one here, who passed away because of covid. This drawings were shown on Manhattan, Las Vegas and Miami.

Funniest Clown in Town by Yafa Shanadower

When the pandemic started and normal life was put on hold, I felt sorry for all the stage performers, including O'Ryan the O'Mazing. He performed online with his son from their house, which was very significant for me. It lifted me to see him finding new ways to reach people.

Untitled by Savannah Graham

Savannah’s work directly relates to mental health, reflection on trauma, the self, and personal growth. Both pieces are part of a larger series about depression and anxiety and the power we hold when we let ourselves heal. You can see more of her work at https://link.edgepilot.com/s/592afd03/wBS-rv8210qDfmra1QwjKA?u=http://www.savannahgraham.com/

Untitled by Savannah Graham

Pittsburgh Collobartive

Film-Making Project

Learn more about the University of Pittsburgh Collaborative Film-making and more about teen mental health at the website button listed above. There are a total of 8 videos featured on the website. To view the initial screening and background on the project visit here.

Pittsburgh Youth Collaborative Film Project

Supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation