AKRON, Ohio - Art of Recovery 2023, presented by Klein’s Pharmacy, returned to Akron Art Museum on March 14, celebrating the artistic expression of CSS clients and marking the most-successful Art of Recovery yet.

Throughout the evening, nearly 200 guests viewed and bid on the client-created works of art, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, engaged with the artists, learned more about CSS, and participated in a community art project.

Barry and Ann Klein, owners of Klein’s Pharmacy, were the event’s honorary chairs. During the welcome portion of the evening, Barry thanked the sponsors who made the event such a financial success and expressed his and Ann’s dedication to the event, which they have supported for years.

It was an exceptionally successful night for the artists; by the end of the night, 41 of the 45 pieces had sold – making it the bestselling Art of Recovery event for CSS client-artists. Seventy-five percent of the art sale proceeds went to the artists while the remaining 25% went to the CSS Expressive Arts Therapy program.

In addition, six of the 22 participating artists were honored for their works, as judged by two local artists.

Taking home the top awards were:

• Bradley Rankin, who won Best in Show for “Butterfly Peonies,” a work in acrylic on canvas that, “represents the simplicity in life.” The subject was especially meaningful to him: “The flowers were a still life arranged by my grandmother, who has been giving me art lessons my whole life.”
• Lacie Makary, who earned second place for “Keep Going,” a collage that “represents my own battle with overcoming the negative thoughts and voices that have been so overwhelming my whole life and pushing myself to keep going.”
• Charisma Steinker, who took third place for “Hope,” a work of pencil on paper that was part of her art journal. “When life seems helpless, always look for hope,” the artist said in her statement.

An honorable mention was awarded to Anne Marie Snyder for “Dream #24,” a pastel-tinged painting of a chair that judge Christine Mehen, an artist and licensed mental health therapist, especially liked for the “etherealness of the colors.”

Mehen presented her Judge’s Pick Award to Mark Rose for “It’s Going to Be a Bright Sunny Day,” a whimsical pen and marker drawing of potted plants. Mehen said, “Linearly and lyrically, I loved this piece. I want a bright sunny day! For us all!”

Judge Megan Shane awarded her Judge’s Pick Award to Aldo Estebane’s “Art Saves Lives,” a work in marker depicting the silhouette of a person with a mohawk emblazoned with the words “Art Saves Lives.” Shane said she chose the work for “its raw honesty, grit and impactful message,” adding, “While technical execution is certainly a factor, it was the emotional resonance and universal truth of the work that set it apart.”

We congratulate all of our participating artists and thank them for sharing their art, their inspiration and their stories.

We’d also like to thank Klein’s Pharmacy, our presenting sponsor, and all of our other sponsors, who helped to make this event such a success.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: Klein's Pharmacy.

MASTER ARTIST SPONSORS: GPD Group, SeibertKeck Insurance Partners, Peg's Foundation, the Griffith Family and the Charles and Salome Reymann Foundation.

MASTER APPRENTICE SPONSORS: Wealth Impact Advisors, CLA, Shrivers Pharmacy, County of Summit ADM Board, PNC and Deborah Skelton, MBA.

TECHNOLOGY SPONSOR: Keystone Technology.

APPRENTICE SPONSORS: SVN, Smith Godios Sorensen, TRIAD Communications, Memaw, Ancora, Oriana House and Westfield Bank.

PATRON OF THE ARTS SPONSORS: Summit County Probate Court, The Beth Drake Team, Bober Markey Fedorovich, GOJO Industries, Portage Path Behavioral Health, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Mace’s Pharmacy, FocusCFO, Blick Art Materials, Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Vick Communications.

NON-PROFIT SUPPORTERS OF THE ARTS: NAMI Summit County, IBH Addiction Recovery, Choices Community Social Center and CHC Addiction Services.