INTO LIGHT Project: Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories

Important Gallery information:

-The Leola Hall Lobby Gallery is located at the River Arts Center, 105 9th St, Prairie du Sac, WI (adjacent to Sauk Prairie High School). Enter through doors E-7, the Garden Entrance, which is located down a sidewalk to the right of the River Arts Center main doors.

Special Hours: 8am-8pm Monday-Friday and weekends during special events. Closed on days that Sauk Prairie Schools are closed (open during summer break)  View calendar here.

Accessibility: Gallery is wheelchair accessible, including all doorways and restrooms

Tours: This exhibit is self-guided. Free docent-led tours are available by appointment for educational groups, non-profit organizations, and groups of 10 or more. Email info@riverartsinc.org or call 608-643-5215 to schedule a tour for your group. *Must have at least 24 hours notice, subject to gallery and staff availability.

INTO LIGHT Project, a national non-profit, creates public exhibitions of original portraits and individual stories of people who have died from the disease of drug addiction in locations around the country. Our mission is to change the conversation about drug addiction through the power of original art and story. We recognize the powerful influence of museums and galleries to promote social innovation and are looking for partnerships that inspire social change, through art. INTO LIGHT Project will select one public academic museum or gallery in each state based on their ability to engage the community by building meaningful educational programming around the exhibit that addresses issues about the disease of addiction.

Each INTO LIGHT Project exhibition consists of up to 30 original graphite portraits of people who have died from drug addiction in the state where the exhibit is held. Each portrait is accompanied by a professionally written narrative about the lives of the individuals in the exhibit. INTO LIGHT Project works with local support groups, counties, municipalities, and other stakeholders to identify individuals for the exhibition. The original, professionally framed portrait of each of the individuals in the exhibit is gifted to the family of the deceased at the end of the exhibition.

The importance of the INTO LIGHT Project exhibit cannot be overstated. Overdose deaths are the #1 cause of accidental and preventable death in our country. There were more than 107,000 drug-related deaths in 2023 – that’s more than gun violence deaths and auto accidents from the same year combined. Roughly 49 million Americans are living with the disease of addiction. This staggering loss of life is rooted in misinformation, health inequities, and marginalization of those with substance use disorders (SUD) and extends to their families. It is critical to change the public perception around this brain disorder by dispelling deeply entrenched stereotypes, changing stigmatizing language, and stimulating discussion. Research has confirmed that museums and galleries, as trusted sources of information, are uniquely poised to do this.

In her foreword for the INTO LIGHT Project Catalog, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health wrote: