Beyond the Stigma: Art and the Healing Journey

Artist Emily Taylor Rice will present a body of printmaking-based work that uses layered ink, text, and repurposed fabrics to create visual metaphors exploring the emotional terrain of addiction, recovery, and healing. Rooted in her experience as a woman in long-term recovery from alcoholism, her artwork challenges stigma and fosters timely dialogue around mental health and substance use. Rice emphasizes that addiction does not discriminate; it impacts individuals from all walks of life, regardless of background or circumstance.

Rice will discuss her multidisciplinary process, which blends painterly monotype prints, silkscreened works on found textiles, sewn collage, and photography. The permanent marks left through the physical pressure of printmaking symbolize the lasting impressions of pain, forgiveness, and renewal. Through abstraction and symbolism, Rice’s pieces convey struggle, growth, and strength, offering powerful reflections on the healing journey. Her work contributes to contemporary socially engaged printmaking by integrating material experimentation with personal narrative and public health themes.

Rice will share how her practice is driven by a commitment to reduce stigma and build collective understanding. With over a decade of international teaching experience and an MFA in Print Media and Photography from Boston University, she brings a broad cultural perspective to her work. By emphasizing vulnerability as a source of strength and connection, Rice demonstrates how visual arts can be a powerful tool to foster empathy, understanding, and transformative change. This presentation invites artists, educators, and scholars to engage in crucial dialogue about mental health and recovery.