April is National Stress Awareness Month and according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 819,000 adults in Minnesota experience a mental health condition. Buck is working to make that number smaller by letting people express themselves through art, so they have a sense of belonging in the community.
(ABC 6 News) – Inside the lakeside building at Cascade Lake Park, Annie Dahlgren sat with members of her family meticulously composing a piece of art that will be part of a mural on the building’s east wall.
Cassandra Buck is the mind behind it all. She said being connecting with nature through art is a great way to relieve the stressors life throws at people.
“Being connected to nature and being connected to your creative self, I do think does help with stress relief,” said Buck.
April is National Stress Awareness Month and according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 819,000 adults in Minnesota experience a mental health condition. Buck is working to make that number smaller by letting people express themselves through art, so they have a sense of belonging in the community.
The end goal for Buck is to put up three murals featuring the artwork of community members. One mural will go up at Oxbow Zollman Zoo, another at Quarry Hill Nature Center and the final one at Cascade Lake Park.
“The whole program is about letting people create art and connect with their local parks,” Buck said. “So they have a sense that they belong at the park they feel comfortable at their local parks and they are able to connect with it in a different way.”
The kids making the art agreed it was an important mission so expressing their love for nature through art was a golden opportunity.
“I just love spending time out in nature and playing with my friends,” Annie Dahlgren said.
Jason Dahlgren added when he is outside, he likes to shoot hoops and score goals.
“I just kind of practice basketball or sometimes soccer with my next door neighbor,” Jason said.
Buck anticipates she will have all three murals installed by the end of July.
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