Making Space: A Panel Discussion on Creative Practices and Mental Health
May 8th, 2025
Join us for an inspiring evening that explores the healing power of creativity and its role in supporting mental well-being. This event brings together artists and mental health professionals for a meaningful conversation at the intersection of art, expression, and emotional health.
Event Schedule:
5:30 PM – Artist Talk with Jessalyn Finch at Threshold Arts Gallery
5:50 PM – Wellness Walk to the Historic Chateau Theatre (approximately 5 minutes)
6:00 PM – Artist Talk with Jean Prokott at the Chateau Theatre Gallery
6:30 PM – Panel Discussion with:
Jessalyn Finch, creator of Living in the Disconnect, a solo exhibition of large-scale drawings and sculptures at Threshold Arts that explores body dysmorphia. Jessalyn is also a mindfulness instructor, weaving mental health awareness into her creative and teaching practices.
Jean Prokott, Rochester Poet Laureate, author, and curator of Trust the Hours, a poetry and visual art exhibition at the Chateau Theatre focused on mental health and healing through language and imagery.
Brandy R. Allen, MA, LPCC, a licensed professional clinical counselor at Onward Counseling in Rochester, MN, who brings clinical expertise and compassionate insight into the conversation.
Facilitated by Naura Anderson, founder of Threshold Arts, the panel will invite dialogue between personal experience and professional knowledge, highlighting how creative practice can nurture mental health.
Stick around afterward and enjoy a beverage from Dry Run Mocktails and time to connect with the community.
This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is greatly appreciated to help organizers plan. If walking is not accessible for you, please reach out — we’re happy to help arrange alternate accommodations.
Panelist Bios:
Brandy Allen, MA, LPCC is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at Onward Counseling in Rochester, MN. With a Master’s in Counseling and Psychological Services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Brandy brings over a decade of experience supporting individuals and families through life’s challenges. She is nationally certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and is a Minnesota board-approved clinical supervisor. Brandy’s approach integrates evidence-based therapies with creativity, mindfulness, and compassion. Known for her ability to build strong, affirming connections, she tailors therapy to each person’s unique need.. Brandy is especially passionate about fostering resilience, self-worth, and healing through both traditional and expressive therapeutic methods.
Jean Prokott is the poet laureate of Rochester, Minnesota and a 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. She is the author of The Second Longest Day of the Year, winner of the Howling Bird Press Book Prize, and the chapbook The Birthday Effect (Black Sunflowers, 2021). Her work has appeared in Verse Daily, Rattle, Arts & Letters, RHINO, and Great Lakes Review, among others, and she has received honors from AWP and the League of Minnesota Poets.
She holds an MFA from Minnesota State University Mankato and a Master of Science in Education from Winona State University. Jean has taught high school, college, and graduate-level courses for over fifteen years and has designed original curriculum in creative writing, philosophy, literature, and education.
Jessalyn Finch is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the fluid relationship between self-perception and the human body. Originally trained in printmaking and drawing, she earned her Bachelors of Science in Fine Art and Eastern Philosophy from UW–La Crosse. After receiving her Master’s Degree in Project Management, a near-death experience in 2017 prompted her to fully commit to a professional art practice, leading to an Emerging Artist Grant in 2018 for her project Shadow Form: The Human Body’s Secret Life.
Her practice has since evolved to include large-scale drawings and interactive cardboard sculpture, often centered on themes of body dysmorphia, anatomy, and movement. As a Mayo Clinic Certified Yoga Instructor, she incorporates mindfulness and embodiment into both her creative process and teaching. In 2024, Finch joined NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory for her first artist residency and debuted Echoes Within at Slip Gallery in Seattle in 2025. She continues to examine self-image through solo exhibitions across Minnesota, including current solo exhibitions at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, Threshold Arts in Rochester, and a future show at Calendula Gallery in St. Paul.