Art Therapy
Artist
Freihaut shares life
with illness at Gallery 104 exhibit
Her
work will appear
through April 3 in La Grange
Staff
Report
(March 20009) – “Living on the Edge of
Reason – Life with MS,” featuring the art of Rebecca
Freihaut, will be displayed March 3 through April 3 at the Arts Association
of Oldham County’s Gallery 104, 104 E. Main St., in La Grange,
Ky. An artist reception and silent auction will be held from 6:30 p.m.
to 8 p.m. Friday, March 6. Proceeds from the auction will benefit The
Louisville Comprehensive Care Multiple Sclerosis Center at 250 E. Liberty
St.
 |
|
Photo
provided Rebecca
Freihaut uses art as therapy |
In recent years the subject of disability has become the
focus of her work – a subject that is close to her heart. Her husband,
Adam, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995, four years before
the couple were married. Though she was aware of his diagnosis, Adam
had not yet exhibited many outward signs of the disease.
Still active, his illness only necessitated an injection every other
day. As Rebecca says, “We were aware people with MS ended up in
wheelchairs, but it wasn’t real to us yet. We were young and it
wasn’t something we dwelled on.”
However, in 2001, reality hit hard with increasing changes in Adam’s
gait. He refused to use a cane until it became absolutely necessary
and remains ambulatory, using a walker most of the time and occasionally
a wheelchair. With the help of a new medication, Adam’s condition
has stabilized. For him the hardest thing is slowly losing his independence
and ability to provide for his family.
For now, he continues to work full time for the Jefferson County Public
Schools as an educational interpreter for the deaf, but that could change
at any time. When asked what the hardest thing is for her, Rebecca says,
“I’m watching someone slowly die right in front of me. We
will all die but most people aren’t confronted with it everyday.
Anyone dealing with this disease knows exactly what I mean.”
Freihaut lives with her husband and two children in Oldham County, where
she works as a real estate agent with a special interest in accessibility
in housing. She also conducts a weekly art class for second and third
graders at New Song Academy in Louisville.
• For more information, call Gallery 104 at (502) 222-3822 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit: www.gallery104.org.