Higher Ground
Exploring the human desire to rise above while remaining rooted in the world beneath our feet.
Moving between the sacred and the terrestrial, the exhibit examines transformation through the pairing of glass and reclaimed material, myth and botany, architecture and cinema. Together, the works consider what it means to seek elevation while remaining grounded.
Throughout the gallery, light serves as both medium and metaphor. It passes through stained glass and illuminates architecture of the past; it nourishes botanical life and draws out the stories that reclaimed material still holds; it flickers across the screen in documentary footage. Each work considers where and how transformation occurs, and what kind of support makes it possible.
In this way, the exhibit echoes Peg’s belief that mental illness belongs in the light, understood, supported, and treated with dignity, and that recovery should be the expectation, not the exception. In alignment with the Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness, Peg’s Gallery celebrates art for its ability to build empathy, raise awareness, and deepen understanding. Artistic expression can transcend words, shift perspectives, and open space for human connection. Peg’s brings mental health into public life, fostering a culture that values dignity, compassion, and recovery.
These ideas are reflected in the title Higher Ground, which speaks to the sacred site where movement happens in two directions at once: upward toward transcendence, downward toward rootedness. To occupy higher ground is not to escape the earth but to see it more clearly. It can be a place, or a state of being, where memory and imagination meet nature and creativity.
To seek higher ground, then, is also a form of resilience: to believe that change, however it arrives, can be a beginning rather than an ending.
September 18, 2026 @ 11:00 am – January 30, 2027 @ 4:00 pm
Jill Troppe
Suzanne Morgan, AIA Emerita
Joan Colbert
Eric S. Vaughan, Filmmaker
Similar Events
The Listening Path: A 6-Week Artist's Way Program
Registration is full. For anyone seeking to reclaim, reconnect with, or deepen their attention to their creative inner world—artists and non-artists alike. This 6-week program offers a shared space to explore creativity, attention, and listening through individual practice and group reflection. The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, provides the framework for our gatherings, which will include reading, small-cluster sharing, and creative practices. Participants should obtain their own copy of The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention and read the Introduction and Week One chapters before the first meeting on Friday, October 9. Because the program builds from week to week, participants are encouraged to review all dates carefully before registering and to plan for consistent attendance. What to Expect: Each week will include reading, guided activities, and independent creative practices, such as Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and Walks—or another accessible form of mindful movement or sensory attunement. The process is private and personal, emphasizing growth through lived experience rather than critique or feedback. Time for group sharing will offer an opportunity to reflect on the experience and connect with others along the way. In-Person Program Dates: Friday, October 9 | 5:00–6:30 PM Friday, October 16 | 5:00–6:30 PM Friday, October 23 | 5:00–6:30 PM Friday, October 30 | 5:00–6:30 PM Friday, November 6 | 5:00–6:30 PM Friday, November 13 | 5:00–6:30 PM About the Facilitator: Laura Naples is an artist based in Hudson, Ohio. Her work explores subtle energies across the natural world and human-made forms, tracing how they are sensed and communicated through gestural abstractions. Drawing on design, dance, and calligraphy, she works with diluted acrylic washes, allowing water and gravity to flow into gradient textures. Acts of surrender and intention emerge as evidential markers of her meditative inquiry.
Read More
NAMI Family Support Group
On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, Peg’s Gallery hosts a free NAMI Family Support Group for relatives, partners, and friends of individuals living with mental illness. This peer-led group offers understanding, practical support, and connection in a confidential, judgment-free space.No registration required. No pressure to share. Enter through the main gallery entrance and meet in the back multi-purpose room.
Read More
The Art of Impermanence: A Nature Mandala Workshop
At Peg’s, we believe creativity can be a simple way to slow down, connect with ourselves and others, and find meaning in the moment. Join visual artist Care Hanson for a quiet, meditative workshop exploring the art of creating nature mandalas. Participants will choose from a variety of natural and found materials to create a personal, temporary mandala—a circular arrangement designed to encourage presence, reflection, and an appreciation for impermanence. There is no experience necessary, and there is no “right” way to create a mandala. The process is an opportunity to slow down, notice the beauty around you, and enjoy the simple act of making. Because these mandalas are temporary, participants are invited to photograph their creations if they wish; there is no physical artwork to take home. Come create, reflect, and experience the quiet beauty of making something that doesn’t need to last. Care Hanson is a visual artist with an eclectic practice that includes abstract acrylic painting, mixed-media collage, and nature mandalas. For years, she has shared a “Monday Mandala” photograph on Instagram each week, celebrating the beauty and versatility of this contemplative practice.
Read More