El Arte Cura series address behavioral health through art

For the past four months, Servicios de la Raza has held four different art events to address behavioral health through its El Arte Cura series. The series is geared towards the Latino community and encourages indigenous and holistic practices by bringing people beyond traditional therapy. Using the arts to address mental health hasn't always been readily available to many in west Denver.

"Some people don't like speaking in therapy, and just using their hands helps them show how they feel and how their living state is," said Cuauhtemoc Perez, who attended the session. "Since I grew up in this neighborhood my whole life, and I know it's never been there. So seeing that it's there now, it's a good movement and step towards a different direction."  

This season's theme was maize, or corn in English, and each project featured the grain in some capacity.

"I think the whole idea is we come from a cultural, artistic background. If you think about indigenous cultures, how creative our culture was, going back to the folk arts and just how important those folk arts are," said Mandy Medrano, a case manager at Servicios.

Medrano said considering the current climate, a different approach is vital.

"Our community is crying for healing," Medrano said. "It's definitely a necessity, definitely a need, and a lot amongst young people lately with the ODs on fentanyl, and we're having parents and families reach out to us, asking for help, asking for support."

And having support that allows people to disconnect from the outside world, Medrano said gives them a moment to reflect through art.

"It gives youth time to get off social media and use their heads and hands, and just escape reality," Perez said.

Next month Servicios de la Raza will start a new art series focused on Dia de Los Muertos. For more on that event and other services the organization offers you can visit: https://serviciosdelaraza.org/