Crisis Care
For Life Threatening Emergencies:
Call 911
Or go to your nearest Emergency Room
_________________________________
For other crisis needs 24/7:
- Call UCI Counseling Center at (949) 824-6457
- Crisis Text Line
♦ Text “Home” to 741741
- Call or text 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8
- Call UCI Campus Police at
(949) 824-5223
Art of Healing Showcase
Art of Healing Showcase 2026
This Showcase, which is designed to help students empower themselves and others, as well as decrease mental health stigma by exhibiting visual artwork created by UCI students, adhering to this year’s theme of DREAM.
The Counseling Center accepted all art submissions within the specified guidelines. The student art submissions are not reflective of the Counseling Center’s positionality and recognize some works of art may be triggering for individuals. Accordingly, the Center wants to remind all attendees of campus resources that are available to them as members of the UCI Community.
Belonging as Me
Stephanie Romero
People’s Choice Winner
Seeker 1
Pamela Lamas
Seeker 4
Pamela Lamas
People’s Choice Winner
Be the Light
Mental Health Resource Fair Community Piece
Building Community: Brick by Brick
Take Back the Night Community Piece
The One Who Truly Me
Amorette Correa
Before I Knew Him
Theresa Ta
People’s Choice Winner
Enigma
Bernice Kwong
My Dream is to See My Friends Succeed
International Center Staff
Brushstrokes of Belonging: Neurographic Art Compilation
Graduate and Family Housing
International Coffee Hour Dream Mural
International Coffee Hour Community
Please scan the QR Code to hear each of the Art of Healing Showcase artists stare their personal artist statement.
All images on this page Ⓒ 2023 by the UCI Counseling Center. All Rights Reserved.
The UCI Counseling Center respects the rights of all artists that participated in our Art of Healing Showcase. Consequently, all works that appears on this page do so with the consent of the artists.
No image or information display on this site may be reproduced, transmitted, or copied (other than for the purposes of fair dealing, as defined by the Copyright Act of 1968) without the express written permission of The UCI Counseling Center and the individual artist.
Mind Your Zot!
Belonging as Me
Stephanie Romero
Drawing
My artwork represents self acceptance and belonging through the image of a black sheep surrounded by smiling white sheep. The black sheep stands in the center holding a trophy and medal labeled “I Am Enough, and I belong no matter my differences” symbolizing the realization that worth does not come from changing yourself to fit in. The peaceful atmosphere reflect the hope of being accepted while staying true to who you are. This piece aims to challenge mental health stigma by showing that feeling different does not make someone less valuable or less deserving of connection.
Seeker 1
Pamela Lamas
Photography
This image is part of a series that explores surrealist dreamlike landscapes. The seeker is on a quest to escape the liminal space between dream and reality in search of truth and the tangible. This image serves as the opening sequence, where the seeker grapples with the impermanence of existence. The heart beats like the clock, but like the flowers in the image, it too shall wilt away.
Seeker 4
Pamela Lamas
Photography
This image is part of a series that explores surrealist dreamlike landscapes. The seeker is on a quest to escape the liminal space between dream and reality in search of truth and the tangible. In this image, the seeker is suspended in existential contemplation among the cosmos. Within the expanding universe, death gives way to rebirth, stars explode to create new worlds. Our lives are but a small fraction of this greater narrative. We are made of stardust, and to stardust we shall return. Thus, we continue to confront the impermanence of time, reality, and our existence.
Be the Light
Mental Health Resource Fair Community Piece
Acrylic Paint
“Be the Light” centers on a lighthouse standing steady along the coast, its rays extending outward as fragments of shared strength. Each beam carries the quiet resilience it takes to navigate darkness—and the dreams that keep us moving toward healing and renewal. Like the shoreline shaped by constant waves, growth is ongoing, not linear. This piece invites viewers to see themselves as both keeper and light: holding onto dreams of overcoming, guiding others through shadow, and creating hope. Even in isolation, light travels—reminding us that brighter horizons are always within reach.
Building Community: Brick by Brick
Take Back the night Community Piece
Collage
On April 29th, 2026, members of the UCI community gathered to participate in Take Back the Night, a global movement dedicated to increasing awareness and supporting survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence. This year’s event was themed, “Building Community: Brick by Brick.” Participants were prompted to take a paper brick and create an original piece of art guided by the following questions. Over 70 bricks were contributed to build this community art piece, reflecting a shared DREAM of healing, safety, and hope.
The One Who Truly Me
Amorette Correa
Song-Audio
“The One Who is Truly Me” is about someone wanting to keep their self intact during their dreams while navigating feelings towards another person.
https://youtu.be/sUOEp5UZVds?si=bklj1FciWQeJu3B1
Before I Knew Him
Theresa Ta
Collage
This piece honors my ông nội, my grandfather, who recently passed away. Searching through his home, I discovered photographs I had never seen: his childhood in Vietnam, his time as an officer for the South Vietnamese Army then getting sent to a communist re-education camp for seven years, and when the war ended in 1975. Each image reveals how much he survived to provide for our family before coming to America to live out the dream. These fragments of history make up who he was as a person and in losing him, I found him for the very first time.
Enigma
Bernice Kwong
Drawing
This is a digital drawing of a winged beast with a head made of swirling matter. As it kicks up from the ground, particles of dust brush up in the air, almost encompassing the beast. This subject represents the figure we often see in our dreams that are shrouded in shadows. Who they are, we don’t know. Just that they recur often enough in our dreams that they stop becoming an enigma.
My Dream is to See My Friends Succeed
International Center Staff
Drawing
International Center Staff reflect on how supporting their friends’ dreams is a way of supporting their own dream. The art piece reflects how community is built through sharing dreams and cheering each other on to achieve them. It is also a reminder that our community is what inspires us to dream. Dream on!
Brushstrokes of Belonging: Neurographic Art Compilation
Graduate and Family Housing
Collage
This collective piece is a vibrant tapestry of nine individual Neurographic Art works created by Graduate and Family Housing residents who attended the Brushstrokes of Belonging Neurographic Art Workshop on May 9, 2026. Each piece reflects the unique voice, perspective, and inner world of its creator… brought to life through the meditative strokes and flowing lines of Neurographic Art. Together, these works transcend individuality to form a unified celebration of neurodiversity, creativity, and community. This collection is a powerful reminder that when we create space for every mind to express itself freely, the result is nothing short of breathtaking.
International Coffee Hour Dream Mural
International Coffee Hour Community
Drawing
This community mural depicts the multiple ways the word dream can be viewed, from personal dreams, professional dreams, and lucid dreams. The artists share what dreams shape their life and hope its evokes in you the dreams that shape your life.
Weekend Surprise
Natalie Yu
Painting
Life is an eternal journey galloping into glimmering aspirations and mysterious tomorrows.
Healing in the Haze
Jhanvi Patel
Photography
In the stillness of a foggy morning, “Healing in the Haze” captures the essence of a journey towards mental wellness. The photograph depicts a serene landscape with trees shrouded in mist, symbolizing the uncertainty and obscurity that often accompanies mental health struggles. Yet, amidst the haze, a glimmer of hope emerges. The grassy hill, dotted with trees, represents the path we must navigate to find solace and peace. The fog, though dense, is not impenetrable, suggesting that even in the darkest moments, there is always a way forward. The sun’s presence, though obscured, casts a gentle glow, illuminating the journey and guiding us towards healing. This artwork embodies the theme of JOURNEY, acknowledging that mental health is a process that requires patience, self-reflection, and community support. It reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles and that together, we can find our way through the haze. “Healing in the Haze” is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for resilience and growth, encouraging viewers to embark on their own journey towards healing and self-discovery.
After a Few
Marisela Granados
Poetry
A poem written about the complex journey of growing pains and the power of vulnerability.
Our Family Tree
2025 Mental Health Resource Fair Community Piece
Mixed Media
A community artwork piece from the 2025 Mental Health Resource Fair. A display of positivity that was built leaf by leaf by our UCI Community. The journey to loving one’s self can be difficult at times but when we come together as a community we can build each other up.
The Persistence of Time
Shade Kirjava
Mixed Media
This piece displays my gender transition over time through the school ID’s I was issued from 2013 to 2023. Starting at 1 o’clock, you can progress clockwise through several names and presentations, and clearly see my joy increase as I become more myself. In the center is the nonbinary pride flag in stained glass. With this work I hope to reduce the stigma surrounding gender transition.
Queer Community Handprint Tree
UCI LGBT Resource Center
Collage
The LGBTRC Community Handprint Tree represents queer journeys of self-exploration and healing. The tree symbolizes our community with roots grounded in care while the hands reach for the sky in aspiration of our vibrant futures. The branches of our lives interweave and intersect much like the many facets of our identities across identifiers like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and more.
International Coffee Hour Community Mura
International Coffee Hour Community
Drawing
This community mural is inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, Oh the Places You’ll go. The artwork depicts themes discovered in journeys such as transformation, growth, adventure, wanderlust, developing identity, taking bold steps, discovering new ideas, and much more. The artists invite the viewer to invoke their own memories of how journeys have shaped them and how these memories share unique details yet common threads!
Counseling Center Staff Journeys
Ana Gloria Virella
Embroidery
Images drawn by Counseling Center staff and embroidered by Special Guest Artist Ana Gloria Virella.