From Mental Health Art Project to Public Launch: Bezerk Productions’ Colorful Creation Comes to Light

Bezerk Productions, a nonprofit organization based in Yucca Valley, is set to reveal a mental health coloring book called “See, See, See, More! Listen With Your Eyes” at a celebration on June 20th from 3-5 p.m. The event will take place at Birdcage Comics Cafe in San Bernardino. The coloring book, created by artists on the emotional behavioral spectrum, is a project sponsored by a California Arts Council/Creative Corps grant.

Since its inception in 2001 as an interdisciplinary group of individuals on the emotional behavioral spectrum, Bezerk Productions has been offering workshops to clubhouses and Transitional Age Youth centers in San Bernardino County. In 2021, the organization relaunched Cracked Eggs with funding from the Mental Health Services Act and now offers twice-weekly workshops.

The mental health coloring book project was made possible through a Creative Corps grant from the California Arts Council. It began with training for teachers and teaching of visual art techniques by Linda Sibio at Birdcage Comics Cafe in San Bernardino from November 1st to March 1st. The teaching artists, including Sibio, Claudia Bucher, Georgeann Deen, Leslie Matamoros, Neil Doshi, Erica Mosco, and Jeff Pippin led workshops for students who produced over 400 drawings that were then selected by ten artists out of which 100 were chosen for inclusion in the final product.

The gala event on June 20th will feature performances by Erica Mosco and Jeff Pippin’s band along with an award ceremony. Free copies of the completed coloring book will be available to attendees who can learn more about Bezerk Productions by visiting their website at bezerkpro.org