A Montco Woman's Heartbreaking Artwork On The Opioid Epidemic

NORTH WALES, PA — A North Wales woman has been chosen to participate in a prestigious statewide art exhibition for one of her works, which reflects the impact and immense scope of the opioid epidemic.

Maria Maneos, a 2002 graduate of Montgomery County Community College's Fine Arts Program, was selected for her exhibit, "5535-2017." It represents the 5,535 lives lost to overdoses in Pennsylvania in 2017.

The piece, which hangs from the ceiling of the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, includes more than 300 monofilament lines closely clustered together, anchored by a weight at the bottom and lined by the small clear bags that heroin is generally sold in. Each bag contains a bright crystal "to represent the beauty and light of the soul" of an overdose victim, Maneos, 47, explains.

"Just hearing a number doesn’t impact you the same way as actually seeing it," she said. "The installation is both beautiful and horrific at the same time."

Maneos' work was selected by the 2018 "Art of the State" Exhibition in Harrisburg, which will run from June 24 to Sept. 9.

She said she was inspired to create the piece in part by the struggles of her son John, who fought addiction in high school and was later imprisoned.

"This art piece is intended to give visitors an opportunity to see the lives lost and perhaps the feeling of loss attributed to the over-prescribing of opiates, the infestation of heroin in our country and the lack of help or identification of mental health issues," she added. "Maybe it will help people recognize that each crystal represents a real person who went through severe trials in their lives and help us all to remember them and be aware of the issue to hopefully deter others from falling into this rabbit hole."

Images via Montgomery County Community College