The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) proudly announces that our staff person, Trey Everett of Crookston, recently received the Peter G. Beeson Rural Arts Award from the National Association for Rural Mental Health.
The 2023 award was presented to Trey Everett during their National Convention in Pittsburgh on September 20, 2023. Trey is a visual artist, pastor, teacher, and spiritual guide. He primarily works with pen and ink, which includes calligrams (images made with words), lectionary art, editorial cartoons, and commissions. He also creates murals, including an outdoor mural on a building wall in downtown Crookston titled “Unity and Diversity” and art related to cinema inside the Crookston Grand Theater.
At the awards ceremony, Trey was recognized for his healing workshop with the Northwestern Apartments (NWA) transitional living facility residents in Crookston. Residents at NWA have mental health and often substance health challenges. Trey presented ideas of how art can be another therapeutic tool for recovery. The workshop provided residents with a way to touch on vulnerabilities and feelings that are sometimes unavailable in more traditional therapies. After an initial session, residents spent a week with their art. Many created several art pieces. His work with people and the art he provokes are hopeful and healing, with a sense of wonder and humor, reflecting the best spirit of who we are and who we can be.
