Into Light Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 2019 by Theresa Cower and focused on destigmatizing drug addiction.[1]
The main initiative of the non-profit is to organize portraits exhibitions of people who died of substance disorder,[2][3][4] with the aim to organize one in every state.[5] The organization partners with local artists to make black and white portraits, shown alongside a biography of the person depicted. Artists work with local families who volunteered for the project.[1]
The exhibitions are described as a grieving and cathartic process for families[1] and as an example of art activism[4] that fosters social change. The exhibitions are often held in college towns.[4] They are accompanied educational programming to improve the general public’s understanding of addiction.[6]
The idea for the project comes from a portrait that Theresa Cower made of her son after he overdosed in 2018, that helped her grieve.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Richardson, Olivia (2025-08-25). “Portrait project remembers Granite Staters beyond their struggles with addiction”. New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ “Old Capitol exhibit pulls opioid crisis from the shadows”. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ Sun, BOB MARTIN, The Laconia Daily (2025-09-24). “Into Light Project aims to erase the stigma of substance use disorder through art”. The Laconia Daily Sun. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c Mitchell, Anna. “The Into Light Project sparks conversation about substance use disorder across Iowa”. The Daily Iowan. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ “Exhibit Brings Substance Use Disorder into the Light”. www.southalabama.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ McDonald, Sean (2025-09-29). “Into Light Project shows other side of people who have died after struggling with drug addiction”. WMUR. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ^ “INTO LIGHT Project, California”. San Bernardino County Museum. Retrieved 2025-12-27.