Looking for the Light Event Series

WIKIPEDIA

JN STAFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Looking for the Light is an art exhibition and event series dedicated to the destigmatization of mental illness. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), the event’s mission is to confront the issue of mental illness in a celebratory, informational and inspiring way — eschewing the shame and promoting help options. Events run through the end of the month and include art, counsel, education and fun, highlighting the unique spirit of artists and focusing on all aspects of mental health.

The event series is inspired by the memory and collected works of late Detroit artist and musician Michael Francis Miller and features Miller’s — and other local artists’ — works. The event takes place at Midtown’s Galerie Camille (4130 Cass Ave., Suite C).

“My brother was such a beautiful, talented soul, and his cruel disease really wreaked havoc. As an artist, Michael kept fighting the disease, and in a sense, kept fighting to paint,” says event creator Dan John Miller, brother of the late Michael Francis Miller. “We knew we needed to honor not only his artistry, but also his advocacy, so we decided to put together a show of his work, with the goal of taking away the shame and fear of mental illness. But the show really didn’t get going until I talked to our friend Gretchen, who grabbed the bull by the horns and…”

“When Dan John called to brainstorm ways to honor his brother and his artwork, we thought a gallery reception and event series would be an impactful way to get the community involved,” says co-creator Gretchen Gonzales Davidson. “Mental health impacts us all. We want to shift awareness to remove its stigma, bring light to useful resources and help people feel like they are not alone.”

Looking for the Light will feature different events, including a Michigan Humane Society panel focusing on the mental health benefits of pets on May 19, and a meaningful caregiver panel at BasBlue, presenting Dan John Miller and the much-honored Rabbi Daniel Syme, a beloved local religious leader and wellknown suicide prevention advocate on May 25. Both Miller and Syme (both named Daniel) lost brothers (both named Michael) to mental illness.

May 21, from 7-9 p.m. at Midtown’s Galerie Camill, it’s music night featuring Seedsmen to the World and Dan John Miller. Seedsmen to the World is a collaboration between the cascading soundscapes of Detroit’s Infinite River (Joey Mazzola, Gretchen Gonzales and Warren Defever) and folk troubadour Ethan Daniel Davidson, who will be celebrating their debut record release.

For a list of all Looking for the Light events, visit https://galeriecamille.com/ upcoming-events.

The COVID pandemic took many things away from us but, in an effort to bring some normalcy back into our lives, Temple Kol Ami is bringing back its popular Aces Chai event on Saturday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m.

The high-energy casino night in the West Bloomfield synagogue’s Conrad Social Hall features craps, blackjack, roulette and poker, and the chips you win are later exchanged for raffle tickets that you put into boxes in front of items you want to try and win at the end of the evening. If you really want one particular item, put all of your tickets into that one item’s box; if you want a chance to win multiple items, spread them out and put tickets in many boxes. You must be at least 21 years old to attend.

In addition to the fun, food and casino games, a silent auction will once again have items available to bid on at the TKA page at this link: https://tka.cbo.io. Items up for auction include a week at a fabulous west Michigan vacation home, the opportunity for WDIV meteorologist and TKA past president Paul Gross to visit a classroom of your choice for a one-hour weather lesson, the opportunity to talk sports over lunch with 97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Stone and great seats at a Detroit Tigers game. The auction will open for bidding a few days prior to the event, and you don’t need to attend the event to participate in the auction.

Cost for the evening of fun is $60 but, in keeping with past tradition, those ages 21-36 only pay their age! For more information, visit https:// tkolami.org or call (248) 6610040. Tickets can also be purchased online at https://tkolami.org/donations.