BENTONVILLE, AR. — F rom growing up in Alaska with no running water to living out of her car , s inger and songwriter J ewel used 'mindfulness' to overcome childhood trauma.
Now, s he hopes to share her immersive art show to help change others' lives.
Jewel’s doing a lot more than making music. S he's a mental health advocate and a very talented visual artist.
You can see her work at C rystal B ridges M useum of American A rt in northwest Arkansas . The immersive art experience is called ‘The Portal.’
A hologram inside C rystal B ridges is one piece of Jewel’s art. I t welcomes guests into a one-of-a-kind immersive art experience fully curated by J ewel.
"I t was really important for me to highlight the three areas of my life that I've been working on ,” Jewel said. “I love C rystal B ridges because it's an incredibly elevated museum but it's not elitist, it's for people .”
"T his all started with J ewel ,” said Rod Bigelow with Crystal Bridges. “F or an art museum to connect with a wonderful, amazing singer is something a little bit different, so we said yes, we might as well dive in and do a project together .”
You'll see an incredible oil painting of her son titled ‘D ouble H elix . ’ I n the background is a poem she wrote when he was born .
Also on display is h er leucite sculpture of meditation and medication titled ‘C hill .’
S he said she started sculpting, marble carving and working with clay in high school. She got into painting more recently.
"I decided to see if I could change my life one thought at a time ,” Jewel said.
At The Portal, s he shared some of her story with us . H er mother abandoned her as a child, and she moved out at 15 . At one point, she lived in a car . She was sexually harassed by a boss, lost her j ob and started shoplifting .
Despite all this, Jewel was det ermined not to become a statistic. She didn't know what it was called, but she started working on her own mental health, through mindfulness — it's work she's passionate about today.
Jewel uses the Crystal Bridges Collection to help people ask questions about what she refers to as the 'Three Spheres,' or realms, of human existence: the inner world, the outer world, and the unseen world.
“A lot of the questions that I've asked myself that had helped me heal over the years, I've been able to use as questions, here in the museum, that people could write down in journals, and have their own answers if they feel like doing that ,” Jewel said.
“W e love the idea of using art and wellness, and concepts of song and music, to really enliven a discussion about how we connect with each other and ourselves ,” Rod said.
There’s even a drone show .
“I hope people love the drone show because it's just really fun and amazing ,” Jewel said.
“I t's an immersive experience that captures the idea of innovating in an art space around wellness ,” Rod said.
Jewel said the goal is to inspire others.
"I hope people walk away knowing that we can change, and when we do, new things grow in our lives, ” Jewel said. “I hope people get to interact with art in an entirely new way .”
C rystal B ridges is about a two-hour drive from Tulsa .
Y ou can experience J ewel's concept of the ‘ T hree S pheres of E xistence ’ — the inner world, the outer world and the unseen world , now through July 28.
The museum is free , but you'll need tickets for the portal , which includes the 12-minute narrated drone show. It's $25 for adults — kids 10 and under are free.
J ewel will also be performing at the Walmart AMP in R ogers, Arkansas , with M elissa Etheridge in October .
On Her Mind is a weekly segment focused on issues that impact women every day. Make sure your voice is heard by sending any story ideas or comments to onhermind@fox23.com .
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