Leadership Cape Team Helps Bring New Vision to CCC’s Gallery of Inspiration
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A Leadership Cape team is helping Community Counseling Center and the Community Counseling Center Foundation move the Gallery of Inspiration “from the back of the building to the front of the community,” developing a vision for a more accessible, welcoming and visible space where art can continue to support healing, connection and creative expression.
The team presented its project September 11, following months of work focused on the Gallery’s current challenges, future opportunities and ways to connect the program more fully with the Southeast Missouri community.
The Gallery of Inspiration provides a safe, creative environment where individuals can express thoughts and emotions that may be difficult to communicate through words. Morning classes and afternoon Open Studio opportunities welcome CCC clients, day-hab groups and community participants, with artists traveling from throughout Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois to participate.
“Art is self-expression, a glimpse into one’s emotions which may not be accessible through words,” said Mike Mills, Program Director.
The popularity of the program has also highlighted the limitations of its current home. The Gallery operates in a 16-by-23-foot multipurpose room that serves simultaneously as classroom, art studio, supply storage and exhibit space. Although the room seats approximately 10 artists, attendance can exceed 19 at a time. The space lacks natural light, internal running water and restroom access, and its current entrance presents accessibility challenges for artists who use wheelchairs and walkers.
Through its work, the Leadership Cape team identified opportunities for the Gallery’s future, including improved accessibility, greater visibility, dedicated space for classes and exhibitions, and stronger connections between the Gallery and the community.
“Our goal is to move the Gallery from the back of the building to the front of the community,” said Michelle Ramsey, Executive Director of the Community Counseling Center Foundation. “That means more than moving into a different room. It means creating a space that reflects the dignity and talent of the people who use it—and inviting our community to become part of what happens there.”
The Leadership Cape project also explored opportunities to take the Gallery beyond its physical location through a Gallery Road Show, bringing artwork into communities throughout Community Counseling Center’s five-county service area and increasing awareness of the artists, the program and the role creative expression can play in mental well-being.
The Leadership Cape team includes Cory Grojean of Southern Bank, Kathleen Harold of First Missouri State Bank, Alyssa Alger of Foster Adopt Connect, Jared Holloway of Holloway Floor Covering, Justin Seimers of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Kathryn Howell of Mercy Health Foundation, and Kevin Timlin of Southeast Missouri State University.
“The Leadership Cape team brought fresh eyes, different professional perspectives and tremendous energy to this project,” Ramsey said. “They helped us think beyond what the Gallery is today and imagine what it could become—not only for the artists who already love this program, but for our entire community.”
Community members, businesses and organizations interested in helping bring the expanded Gallery of Inspiration vision to life can support the project through the Community Counseling Center Foundation. Contributions will help provide resources needed to create a more accessible, welcoming and inspiring environment for creativity, connection and mental well-being.
Support the Gallery of Inspiration
For additional information, contact the Community Counseling Center Foundation at 573-332-2787 or mramsey@cccntr.com.