About Off Broadway Arts at Pine Street Church

 

Pine Street Church has long held that art is a powerful path to reflection, personal growth and deeper understanding. Long before written language, people used images, music, dance and performance to express what moved them and what their communities valued.

 

Off Broadway Arts, a central ministry of Pine Street Church, carries that tradition forward through exhibitions, theater, concerts, film, education and community programming. Its stated purpose is to use the visual and performing arts to foster creativity, reflection, personal growth and community dialogue, to “expand consciousness, creativity, and wisdom through vital experiences with the arts.”

 

Of particular relevance to The Faces We Carry, Off Broadway Arts frequently connects artistic experiences with difficult social and health issues, using art to challenge generalizations, misunderstandings and prejudices that can separate people. It functions as a community arts laboratory where visual art, theater, music, education and social issues can intersect.

 

This makes Off Broadway Arts a natural partner for a project that asks viewers to look more carefully, examine their assumptions, encounter different perspectives and reconsider how they see another person.

 

 

About William Stoehr

 

William Stoehr’s art explores the stigma associated with substance use disorder and experiences that are often similarly stigmatized, including mental health challenges, HIV/AIDS and incarceration. Stigma can become a barrier to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It can alter how we see others and how we see ourselves. The faces he paints represent not only those directly affected, but also families, friends, caregivers, witnesses and communities.

 

Exhibited internationally at universities, art centers, museums and galleries, he has participated in more than 120 exhibits including more than 30 one-person exhibitions and has been recognized many times including several best of show awards. 

 

His art and mission have received considerable national and international media coverage including NPR Morning Edition, NPR Atlanta City Lights, BBC, ABC/Scripps and the Associated Press plus many more publications, TV broadcasts, podcasts and interviews.