LEESBURG – What do you get when you combine Semeion Richardson’s passion for advocating for mental health and his love of art?
You get an Artist with a Purpose.
Richardson is recovering from his mobile art studio and opening a new gallery in downtown Leesburg, the first black-owned art gallery in the tri-county area.
“My goal is to connect mental health and art, but also to create fun experiences for children and adults,” Richardson said. “When we are able to express ourselves, we are able to see what is really going on inside. I want to build a bridge from community to unity ”.
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Richardson has great things planned for his gallery, but the first thing he wants everyone to experience is love.
“When you walk in, we hope you love the atmosphere and experience so much love,” Richardson said. “Sometimes people don’t even know if they like art, but this is one way for them to discover it. I want to be able to go inside you and see what is inside you to bring it to light ”.
Richardson was a suicide crisis counselor for more than seven years. Working primarily with teenagers and older people really showed her how much pain there is in the world.
“I took what I knew from there and then I had the art,” Richardson said. “My degree is in art and behavior analysis, so I combined those things because I found it really helps. I’ve been able to connect more with people when it comes to creativity. “
One of the children’s programs Richardson runs is SolePurpose, where children paint on shoes to express things they are feeling or going through in their lives.
She has also experienced firsthand how grief can affect daily life after her mother passed away from cancer five years ago.
“Mental health is just not talked about enough,” Richardson said. “The duel is tough, especially with all those who face COVID. People who stay indoors for a year can drive people crazy. But it taught me to appreciate time more, to take a breath to go out and listen to the birds and not be in a hurry ”.
Richardson said art helped her tremendously deal with the pain of losing her mother. It was clicked that if that worked for her, it might help other people too.
Artist with a Purpose also partners with the School of God’s Hands in Haiti, where more than 400 children experience the expressiveness of art.
“We find what’s inside and we get it out,” Richardson said. “It is a therapeutic art to express whatever it is that you are facing. Or it may just be a regular art class for fun. Either way, it is expressing what you feel ”.
Artist with Purpose Grand Opening
Artist with a Purpose will hold its Caribbean-style grand opening Saturday, January 22, from 4-6 pm at 411 W. Main St. in Leesburg. For more information visit TheArtistWithUnPurpose.com.
