Spotlight on Expression: Harlem’s Emma L. Bowen Center Presents Client-Curated Photography Showcase

NEW YORK — This month, a photography exhibition launched in Harlem highlights the perspectives of individuals coping with mental health challenges and recovering from addiction.

The creators discovered their expression at the Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center.

“It’s where my father taught me to ride a bicycle,” stated Rainbow Clubhouse member Miguelina Jaquez, reciting an original poem. “That’s also where I learned to stand up for myself. The playground…”

The jungle gym outside the Bowen Center has played a significant role in Jaquez’s life since her counseling commenced in her youth.

“Since I was 14, and I’m 60 now,” Jaquez recited in another stanza, “not understanding how harsh this world could be.”

The Photo Voice exhibition

Jaquez’s poetry and photographs emphasize a commitment to positivity, a notion evident in every image in the exhibit Cafe Photo Voice: The Sequel.

“The message they aimed to convey was astounding,” remarked Rhaida Maldonado, a social worker who assisted with the exhibition prior to her recent graduation from Adelphi University. “In their writings, they uplift aspects that might be perceived as ugly, yet it’s incredibly beautiful based on one’s perspective.”

The creations originate from clients in the Bowen Center’s recovery program for substance abuse and the Rainbow Clubhouse, offering a safe environment for those facing mental challenges, such as Denver Chapman, whose collages merge light, comfort food, and play to promote collaboration.

“It’s wonderful to see individuals collaborating on a common project and observe their interactions or differences,” Chapman expressed.

“They aspire to be poets. They aspire to be artists”

The photographers collectively addressed a shared necessity for community, despite city budget reductions that jeopardized the Clubhouse, which ultimately did not happen.

“That form of expression truly broadens the traditional therapeutic approach, making it feel very personal for them,” contributed Ana Rodgers, program director for the Bowen Center’s Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

Social workers from Adelphi University, in their second cycle since the project’s initial pandemic phase, facilitated the expression.

“Photos like…The Addicted Feet genuinely resonate with people’s experiences regarding substance use and the challenges surrounding recovery,” pointed out Chrisann Newransky, an associate professor at Adelphi’s School of Social Work.

“You don’t remain stagnant, and I’m grateful to be alive as I have lost brothers,” Jaquez mentioned.

New supportive housing complex in development

Counselors at the Bowen Center are collaborating with clients in preparation for a service relocation 10 blocks south when their city-owned facility is demolished in January. The new supportive housing complex, currently under construction at that site, will include space for the Bowen Center upon its completion.

The Photo Voice exhibition is set to move to Adelphi in the spring, before establishing a permanent home in the Bowen Center’s new facility.

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