BRATTLEBORO — In connection with the exhibit “If she has a pulse, she has a chance,” the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents three events having to do with addiction and recovery - a talk by photographer and recovery coach Michael Poster on Nov. 29, a reception honoring and thanking community members who support individuals and families in recovery on Dec. 4, and a panel discussion on the state of addiction and recovery in the Brattleboro area on Dec. 13.
All three events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.
On Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m., photographer Michael Poster and BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld will discuss Poster's work, which is featured in the exhibit “If she has a pulse, she has a chance,” on view at BMAC through Jan. 7.
The exhibit consists of photographs and stories of people in recovery whom Poster has gotten to know through his volunteer work at Turning Point of Windham County.
Throughout his career as a documentary photographer, Poster has created portraits of communities, often spending years getting to know his subjects and developing the trust required to take their pictures and record their stories.
Poster's previous projects have included documenting life in a Pennsylvania town thrown into upheaval by gas fracking and on Basin Farm, a messianic community in Bellows Falls.
On Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 4:30 p.m., BMAC invites one and all to a celebration of the many people and organizations in the Brattleboro area who provide vital support to individuals and families in recovery.
“As we were planning the Michael Poster exhibit and related events, we became aware of the many different players who help make recovery possible - supportive peers, mental health and treatment providers, medical professionals, first responders, counselors, employment and housing specialists, alternative therapists, recovery coaches, family members, and many others,” Lichtenfeld said in a news release.
“We thought it would be nice to do something to honor them, to recognize the tremendous service they are providing in our community,” he added.
The Dec. 4 event will include live music, refreshments provided by Vermont Country Deli and The Porch Too, and a guided tour of the exhibit.
Finally, on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m., BMAC hosts a panel discussion on the state of addiction and recovery in the greater Brattleboro area.
Dr. Geoff Kane, chief of addiction services at the Brattleboro Retreat, will moderate a discussion with panelists Susan Avery of Nar-Anon, Lt. Adam Petlock of the Brattleboro Police Department, Susan Walker of Turning Point of Windham County, and Kurt White of the Brattleboro Retreat.
“If she has a pulse, she has a chance” and the events listed above are sponsored by the Brattleboro Retreat, with additional support from the Thomas Thompson Trust, the Vermont Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.