The “Hope Happens” art show opened up at the Penny Cluse Cafe on March 1st and will be on display through the end of the month. The show is a collaboration between the Yellow Tulip Project, a non-profit with the goal of smashing the stigma around mental illness; YTP’s creative advisor, Susan Teare; and Sarah Zobel.

In the fall of 2020, Zobel and Teare handed out hundreds of yellow tulip bulbs to friends, family, and community members. They were encouraged to plant gardens and sow hope into the ground for the coming spring. In March of 2021, when the flowers started blooming, the “hope gardeners” participated in a daily creative practice, creating art and journal entries as they observed and meditated on the growth of their yellow tulips.

Zobel interviewed and filmed the hope gardeners about their experience with the project and created a documentary video about the “Hope Happens” project. Teare also created 14 works of art inspired by her garden of 900 yellow tulips. The “Hope Happens” show consists of Teare’s artwork and a collage of the hope gardeners’ creations, and will travel the country serving as a beacon of hope.

The show will be on display at the Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington through March 28th. To learn more about the show and to watch Zobel’s short documentary, visit https://www.pennycluse.com/.