Ontario Museum of History & Art extends ‘The Art of Healing: Holistic Expressions’

The Ontario Museum of History & Art’s (OMHA) exhibit, The Art of Healing: Holistic Expressions, will now close on Sunday, Nov. 17, giving the community four more weeks to visit the exhibition. The museum is also hosting free educational events related to the theme of healing through art.

The Art of Healing explores the concept of art promoting healing in those who are ill, their families, and in the artists themselves. Locally, this was exemplified in the mid-1950s when San Antonio Community Hospital assembled an art collection to display on hospital walls and in patient rooms. OMHA’s exhibition, Holistic Expressions, showcases the transformative power art can have on the healing process through the work of five artists living in Southern California.

Upcoming events include

Studio Saturdays: Practice of Healing through Poetry and Sound

Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, 2 to 4 p.m. (Ages 15+)

Join OMHA to connect with local artists and immerse yourself in the realm of healing through poetry and sound. Dive into the transformative world of creative expression with a creative writing and performance workshop, led by Micah Tasaka of Creative Grounds. Afterwards, exhibiting artist Amabelle Aguiluz, will guide participants through the soothing waves of a meditative sound performance.

Healing Circle with Denise Silva

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, 2 to 3 p.m. (Ages 16+)

Participate in a healing circle with OMHA exhibiting artist Denise Silva. The community is invited to meditate, discuss, and practice artistic grounding exercises for healing.

Inspired by San Antonio Community Hospital’s architectural transformation during the 1950s-70s to improve its patients’ recovery process, OMHA transformed its North Wing galleries, formally offices for the City of Ontario’s Public Health department, into communal healing spaces through a series of immersive installations, large-scale artworks, and participatory art commissions from contemporary artists including: Amabelle Aguiluz, Flora Kao, Caylin Yorba-Ruiz, Denise Silva and Melissa Ellyn Watkins.

Chaffey Community Museum of Art’s exhibit Highlights from the San Antonio Hospital Collection will close on Oct. 20.

The Ontario Museum of History & Art is located at 225 S. Euclid Ave., Ontario, CA 91762. The hours are Thursday and Friday, noon to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Museum and exhibit is free. To learn more about The Art of Healing visit, www.ontariomuseum.org.