Local actress/artist provides mental therapy through her arts

Visual artist and actress Teala Stampley has opened Creative Minds Center of the Arts in Oak Park’s Southtown District, a live/work space where mental health and art intersect. The center hosts events such as The Painted Tongue: Open Mic and Art Exhibition and Let’s Talk About It Paint and Conversation, combining art-making with licensed therapy. Stampley, who also acts in the Chicago-based drama The Chi and other productions, began painting a year and a half ago as a form of healing for her own anxiety and depression, inspired by her uncle.