OPENING: Sunday September 30 2007 from 4 - 7pm

THE 2007 HEALING POWER OF THE ARTS EXHIBIT OPENS WITH VIP EVENT

The Art Experience, Inc. and the Orion Art Center present the 2nd annual traveling art exhibit of the Healing Power of the Arts. The exhibit will be presented at The Art Experience, Inc., in Summit Place Mall at 315 N. Telegraph, Waterford , Mich. (1st entrance N. of Kohl’s). The event will be on

The program, beginning at 5:30 p.m., will include a live dance performance by members of the professional modern dance company, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. There is a $20 donation for the opening. Light refreshments will be served. The art exhibit will continue on display at The Art Experience, Inc. from September 30th through November 3rd.

The exhibit, now in its second year, is a collaborative effort of two nonprofit agencies –The Art Experience, Inc. and the Orion Art Center . It was created to bring attention to the important role that art and creativity play in the healing process.

The exhibit will represent many instances of using art as a healing tool in the lives people these non-profit agencies - in conjunction with two other participating non-profit organizations, Common Ground Sanctuary and Paint a Miracle - serve. There will be over 50 pieces of art on display, including paintings and sculpture - as well as work of featured artists.

The featured artist at the opening will be Laurie Eisenhower, artistic director, of Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in Rochester , Mich. Eisenhower is a talented, creative choreographer whose choreography has been set on dancers across the country. She has found that choreography helps with the healing process, while grieving the loss of her husband to cancer in February, 2006. She created “Tom’s Songs,” a suite of eight dances to eight of her husband’s favorite rock and folk songs. This dance premiered in April, 2007. A part of the suite will be performed at the opening by members of the professional modern dance company, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Don’t miss the excitement of being so close to a live dance performance from this premier modern dance company, and the poignant choreography of Laurie Eisenhower.

In addition, a number of art pieces from Susan Teague, a nationally exhibiting and award-winning professional Michigan artist, located in Kalamazoo , will be featured. Teague was the featured artist at the Orion Art Center ’s opening of the exhibit, in August, 2007. Teague has found art to be an integral part of her healing process in many different life situations

In many instances, the artwork included in this exhibit is a result of therapeutic processes. Artists’ experiences of physical injury, cancer, emotional conflict, mental illness and various other clinical diagnoses have become tangible through art. Still, some artists employ creative processes as a tool for everyday healthy living.

Medical and mental health care providers often use creative processes to gain valuable insight into their patient’s progress toward healing. Art therapy can help clients cope with their illness and express their deep feelings.

About The Art Experience, Inc. (TAE)

The Art Experience, Inc., is a non-profit community art studio founded in 1995 by six art therapists. Located in Waterford , in Summit Place Mall, the organization’s mission is to provide creative and therapeutic arts experiences for a diverse Oakland County community. TAE is a recognized effective educational and therapeutic arts resource that cultivates creativity as essential to the quality of people’s lives. TAE fosters a unique community wherein artists, both with and without disabilities, work “side-by-side” creating art. TAE is a volunteer organization supported by donations, contracts, local grants and an annual fundraiser. For more information, visit http://www.theartexperience.org.