Gatehouse Academy, a long-term residential drug and alcohol facility exclusively for young adults, is pleased to support four graduates of their program, Alex Crooks, Hollis McCracken, Zak Hoyt, Lauren Gray, who are currently participating in their first art show. The four young people, along with fellow artists Margaret Konopacki and Gianni Bedolo, will have artwork on display at coffeehouse Pony Espresso, the new Los Caballeros Spa, and at Evolve – Yoga and Meditation center, all in Wickenburg, Arizona.

"It is amazing and gratifying to be part of a young adult addict’s life when they awaken to their gifts and talents.” says Kent Sherman, CEO of Gatehouse Academy. “This is one of many experiences that have given Gatehouse Academy’s staff, residents, and families the opportunity, as so aptly described in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, to watch someone grow from an acorn into something of gigantic goodness!"

Hollis McCracken, one of the Gatehouse Academy graduates in the show, was born in 1987 in Baltimore, MD. She began painting with oils, sculpting, and further honing her artistic abilities while attending a Maryland Institute and College of Arts program for high school students. After the death of her only sibling, a brother who died beside her in a car accident, McCracken subsequently plummeted into drug abuse. She increasingly drew upon that grief for inspiration for her painting and in order to heal. McCracken lived in Wickenburg for over a year and loves the town. Today, she is working in Flagstaff, Arizona, continuing to create her own art, while offering its expressive and healing powers at a school for adolescents with behavioral problems.

Another of the Gatehouse artists, Zak Hoyt, twenty-five, states, “I am very influenced by the life I have lived in addiction and in recovery.” Hoyt has been painting for ten years, but drawing for as long as he can remember. He learned to draw from watching his mother, a graphic artist, complete all her work by hand. “I have always wanted to be an artist and am very excited to display my work in Wickenburg where I learned to appreciate and live life to the fullest. Thank you Wickenburg!”