This spring, students from Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions transformed ordinary garments—tote bags, T-shirts, and jackets—into powerful reflections of identity, memory, and mental health. What began as a classroom art lesson became a deeply personal journey in The Health Museum’s Healing Arts Program.
Inspiration & Creative Process
Over six weeks, students explored topics like trauma responses, cultural identity, self-compassion, and the shadow self—the parts of us we often keep hidden. Drawing inspiration from works such as My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, But What Will People Say? by Sahaj Kohli, and Jungian art therapy principles, students learned to see mental health not just as a diagnosis or disorder, but as an evolving part of their life story.
Each student began by choosing a photograph that meant something to them—family memories, pets, childhood milestones—and then embroidered around it with symbols, words, and textures that expressed emotions they couldn’t always name. The result: visual stories that reveal vulnerability, resilience, and the power of self-reflection.
“Your artwork can define more than you put out,” one student wrote. “I also learned that others are focused on their issues as well, meaning you aren’t alone.”
The Freedom to Fail
As a capstone, students visited the museum for an art therapy demonstration with licensed art therapist Mayra Guevara, who led a hands-on activity using their non-dominant hands—an exercise in letting go of perfection and embracing the freedom to fail.
“I learned that I should love myself for who I am. Most importantly, that I am my own person and no one can tell me otherwise.”
Student Participant, Stitch Me Together Gallery
The final works are now on view at The Health Museum in a gallery titled Stitch Me Together. It is a bold reminder that mental health lives in our everyday lives, our bodies, our culture, and sometimes, in the thread we choose to stitch with. The gallery will be on view until October 2025.
This project was funded by
In partnership with
Facilitated by
Melissa Rose Tylinski,
Healing Arts Program Manager
La’Toya Smith
Healing Arts Educator