New Exhibit Sheds Light on Drug Addiction’s Impact in Oklahoma

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TULSA, Okla. – The INTO LIGHT Project’s latest exhibition, Drug Addiction: Real People, Real Stories, will open at the University of Tulsa’s 101 Archer on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. The exhibit honors the lives of 30 Oklahomans lost to drug addiction, featuring their stories paired with original graphite portraits.

As we reported in December 2023, this exhibit will focus on humanizing the statistics around addiction by showcasing individuals from all walks of life, from across the state, including one who was just 18 years old at the time of his passing.

It follows similar exhibits in other states around the country.

INTO LIGHT exhibit to open in Tulsa

Substance abuse, particularly opioid and fentanyl use, has become a devastating reality for many families in Oklahoma. Between 1991 and 2021, nearly 645,000 Americans have died as a result of an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“This extraordinary exhibition touches us at the core by insisting on the power of art to call our loved ones back to us while making an urgent case for social change,” said Sean Latham, Director of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities. “While statistics allow us to imagine social and policy changes, the portraits and stories offer a moving human measure of the terrible costs exacted by drug addiction.”

The INTO LIGHT Project, which uses art and storytelling to raise awareness about the human toll of drug addiction, selected the University of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities as the host for this year’s exhibition.

The INTO LIGHT exhibit will be on display from October 4 through December 21, 2024, in the South Gallery at 101 Archer in downtown Tulsa.

Oklahoma will be the third state to host an INTO LIGHT exhibition this year and the twelfth since the project’s inception in 2019.

This exhibition continues to push for change by personalizing the tragedy of addiction, reminding us of the real people behind the numbers, and urging us to address this crisis with compassion and action.