MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Making Room: A Youth Art Installation for Mental Health Awareness

On May 8th, 2026, The Benji Project wrapped up a six-week intensive arts program with a unique public exhibit: an immersive art installation called Making Room, presented in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Ten local youth (ages 12–17) worked alongside Guest Artist Thaddeus Jurczynski and TBP staff to design and present an experience that left over 85 attendees engaged and moved.

Scenes from our May 8th installation. Click on an image to see full photo.

Inside the Installation: "Lotus’s Room"

The installation centered on Lotus, a fictional teen whose "messy bedroom" served as a portal into the teenage emotional landscape. Visitors explored manifestations of Joy, Anxiety, Love, and Sadness through:

  • Carefully curated textures and lighting

  • Personal objects from the creative team

  • Bamboo reed masks and batik paintings

Over six weeks, participants grounded their art-making in mindfulness, self-kindness, and a shared recognition of our common humanity—using art as a tool to understand themselves and each other.

A Regional Collaboration

The project’s impact extended far beyond the core group. The instructor team gathered input and messages of solidarity from students across Jefferson and Clallam counties, including:

  • OCEAN School (Port Townsend)

  • Sequim High School

  • Stevens Middle School (Port Angeles)

Real Connection, Real Impact

The exhibit's setup transformed the gallery into an unhurried, intergenerational gathering space. Youth artists and community members lingered on couches to engage in organic conversations sparked by the art—the exact kind of connection The Benji Project exists to cultivate.

What's Next?

Making Room was supported in part by grants from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts as part of a two-year commitment. The momentum continues! This summer, our camps will once again weave arts-based programming into the heart of TBP's mission.

Below are scenes from the student artists’ work-in-progress.

This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Look back at our Past Mental Health Awareness Month activities.