UPCOMING PROGRAMS / OPEN CALL
November 2025
Transformation Project
Community Project
The NOpiates Committee, Arts Letters & Numbers, Sand Lake Center for the Arts, the Rensselaer County Mental Health-Student Assistance Program
The Transformation Project is an annual art show dedicated to raising awareness, providing support, and fostering hope and recovery in response to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and its impact on individuals, families, and communities.
This collaborative effort involves the NOpiates Committee, Arts Letters & Numbers, Sand Lake Center for the Arts, the Rensselaer County Mental Health-Student Assistance Program, and local artists. The project plays a vital role in building supportive communities that transcend age, values, and beliefs. By creating a safe space for artistic expression, it sheds light on the hardships, shame, and stigma often faced by those affected by SUD. Through this joint effort, these organizations bridge communities, connecting individuals, families, and those who wish to be allies.
/ open call
We invite visual artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and performance artists, directly or indirectly affected by SUD, to submit work for our annual Transformation Project exhibition. Curated by Frida Foberg and organized with the NOpiates Committee and partner organizations, the exhibition presents diverse perspectives and creative responses to lived experience, ranging from personal narratives to broader social contexts.
All mediums are welcome, and artists may submit multiple works. Artworks should be delivered one week before the opening and picked up within one week after the exhibition closes. Shipping is not provided; please contact us if you are unable to deliver your work in person.
Live performances (dance, music, spoken word) and video works should not exceed 10 minutes. If additional time is required, please provide details in the "additional information" section.
/ details
Application Deadline: October 15th, 2025
Exhibition Opening: November 8th, 2025 | 3pm-6pm
Exhibition Dates: November 8th - 14th, 2025
Event Address: Arts Letters & Numbers - 1548 Burden Lake Road, Averill Park, NY
For any questions, please contact transformation@artslettersandnumbers.com
/ about
The Transformation Project was initiated in 2023 after Brent Benedetto and Ira Baumgarten from Arts Letters & Numbers attended the Nopiates Committee's annual chicken BBQ fundraiser, where the idea for an art exhibition exploring the effects of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) through the arts was conceived. Together with Kim and Tim Murdick from the Nopiates Committee, they launched the project in collaboration with Frida Foberg and Steve Lawrence from Arts Letters & Numbers, Brian Sheldon from the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, and Kim Favro from the Rensselaer County Mental Health - Student Assistance Program.
Through a regional open call, the project brought together a wide range of voices and creative expressions, including visual artists, writers, musicians, and performers, all showcased during the month-long Transformation Project Show in December 2023.
The show debuted at Arts Letters & Numbers, featuring a diverse collection of visual artworks. Selected works by local artists were later exhibited at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, where the opening reception included performances of music, spoken word, and theater. The artwork remained on display at SLCA for the rest of the month.
The project reached a broad age range across the Capital Region, with a particular focus on engaging youth. Regional schools were actively involved, supporting student art submissions, involving students in the production of the show, and organizing field trips for high school art classes to view and develop works related to the exhibition.
In 2024, the initiative featured an open call for art and a series of in-person workshops facilitated by local artists, offering participants diverse ways to share their experiences and find connection through creativity. The 2024 show was held at Arts Letters & Numbers and was open for a week in December. To give more people access to view the works, a virtual exhibition was later made available.
In the two years of running, the Transformation Project has engaged 99 artists, showcased 131 visual works—including paintings, drawings, poems, videos, sculptures, and fabric art—along with 8 live performances. Thirty-five regional students have been involved with the project, and in total, the shows have had 375 attendees.
/ collaborators
The NOpiates Committee is committed to raising awareness of Substance Use Disorders, providing support, and advocating for those affected by the disease. Sand Lake Center for the Arts works to enrich community life and human understanding by fostering the discovery, appreciation, and creation of the arts through education and engagement by both practicing artists and the broader community. Arts Letters & Numbers mission is to promote creative exchanges between a broad spectrum of voices, allowing people and their works to listen to each other. The Renss. County Mental Health - Student Assistance Program team are Master Level Substance Abuse Prevention counselors, positioned throughout the six school districts in Rensselaer county, utilizing science based programming. All the organizations involved share the mission of making individuals feel seen and cared for.
/ Transformation project 2024
Artists: Addiction Care Center of Albany, Alan Opresko, Alejandro Sela, Alyssa Healey, Anthony Mills, Brent Benedetto, Brittney Wood, Celia Chaikowski, Debbie Malenfant, D. J. Michael, Euginia Tan, Farrell Pelcher, Frida Foberg, Hannah Tremblay, Holly Smith, Ira Baumgarten, Janae IRL, Jaxy Malenfant, Jesse LeMon, Joel Olzak, John Dillon, Judy Scarlata, Kate F., Kathy Pratt, Kim Murdick, Kristyn Logan, Laura Beerle, Leon Clowes, Leslie Berlinsky, Linda Bondi, Melissa Hunter, Mike & Debbie Malenfant, Molly Montee, Renato Brea, Ronit Levin Delgado, Rose Malenfant, Sophia Bushey, Stephanie Donato, Tacie Jones, Whitney Vangrin, Yuan Yuan and Zachary Austin.
The 2024 Transformation Project was made possible through donations from Doors of Hope and the Arts Thrive and Grow grant. Arts Thrive and Grow has been funded by New York State, Kathy Hochul, Governor. We thank Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins for her extraordinary commitment and leadership, and our elected officials who represent our grantmaking region: Senators Jake Ashby and Neil D. Breslin; Assemblymembers Scott H. Bendett, Patricia Fahy, John T. McDonald III, Angelo Santabarbara, Phil Steck, and Mary Beth Walsh.
/ Transformation project 2023
Artists: Alan Opresko, Clem Dacier, Diane DeBlois, Eve Ariane Cullen, Gabriel Chalfin-Piney, Holli Boyd-White, Hyunjee Kim, Ira Baumgarten, Jada Ruiz, Janae Young, John Dillon, Judy Scarlata, Karen Brady, Kate F., Lesley Su, Mary Richmond, Mike Noble, Molly Montee, Nathalie (Tali) Saxton, Pamela Rawden, Papa Ousseynou Fall, Rose Malenfant, Ruohan Li, Ruth Martin, Sara Melita (Creative Action Unlimited), Stephanie Remmert (Creative Action Unlimited), Stephen Gambello, Steven Lawrence, Sydney Harwood, William Gent William Spillane (Creative Action Unlimited), and Zach Austin
The 2023 Transformation Project project was made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The Arts Center of the Capital Region. The project was also sponsored by Troy Savings Bank Foundation, Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, Callanan Industries, Doors of Hope and Tremont Ace Lumber and Hardware