University of Alberta researchers are looking at grief related to substance abuse
Researchers from the University of Alberta are looking to connect with rural Albertans who’ve dealt with grief related to substance use.
“What we’ve been hearing from our past research and work in the community is there’s a lot of substance use related grief,” Holly Mathias, a human ecology professor at the university, told Farms.com. “Oftentimes people living rurally have experienced some kind of loss already, and substance use compounds that grief. We’re trying to better understand those stories.”
This study is trading statistics and written papers for a more visual approach.
Mathias is working with Tamara Deedman, an Alberta artist and researcher at the University of Alberta, to turn participant stories into pieces of art.
“My work is embedded in how we connect with the world around us,” Deedman told Farms.com. My role in this study is based off my lived experiences with a father who used substances. When he passed, I inherited everything and realized there was this embedded grief in everything. I couldn’t help but see it and feel it.”
A piece Deedman created out of those experiences include a crushed beer can surrounded by her father’s handwriting.
Lord Beer Be Strength (2035 Hours of The Office) Tamara Deedman photo.
The project is also in partnership with RECLAIM Collective, a social enterprise of professionals with lived experience of substacnce use and mental health.
Interested participants are encouraged to contact Mathias for preliminary questions to determine their eligibility for the study.
Once accepted, individuals will meet with both Mathias and Deedman to share their story.
“The interviews last about an hour,” Mathias said. We’re asking people to bring an object or an item that represents their grief. We’ll ask them to tell us about the object and how it relates to a person who has passed away or someone they’re currently supporting.”
About 10 people have already participated.
They’ve brought in items ranging from clothing to tattoos, Mathias said.
After the interviews, participants are asked to send images of the object(s) to Deedman.
“I kind of act as their translator,” she said. “I revisit their story, I look at what industry is in the area, and I make a piece of art they can keep.”
Deedman’s medium is lithography, which is a printing method based on oil and water not mixing.
These pieces are labour intensive, which isn’t lost on Deedman given the people involved in the study.
“There’s a lot of farmers and blue-collar people in these communities,” she said. “One print can take me up to 40 hours. It is very laborious, but the language of labour as it related to rural spaces is very important to me as it allows me to spend time with these people.”
The study doesn’t stop once the art piece is created.
In addition to the keepsake each participant will receive, the entire collection will tour rural Alberta communities in 2027.
“No one will be identified in the prints but we want to create sense of community and feel connected to others experiencing the same thing," Deedman said.
Anyone interested in being part of the study can email Mathias directly.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance use, Alberta Health Services has multiple resources available.
If immediate support is required, dial 9-8-8 to reach the national crisis helpline.