By The Keystone Newspaper An exploration of mental illness, addiction and creative outlets.
By John Mahoney
On Oct. 16, 2025, the Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation opened its exhibition, “Stay Alive and Make Art: The Art of Amos Lemon Burkhart,” at the Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery. The exhibition will remain open until Dec. 14 as a free experience for the KU community located in the Sharadin Arts Building.
The foundation’s goal is to bring hands-on experiences, positive messaging and workshops to students on the exploration of mental health.
“Stay Alive and Make Art” is a collection of drawings, paintings and other works of art that embody the complexity of sexual and gender identity, the struggles of substance abuse and the strain of emotional trauma.
Photo Credit: John Mahoney
During this latest exhibition, the gallery has been transformed into vibrant shades of the rainbow, featuring a large pink wall of KU student-made art, mannequins covered in various colors of the LGBTQ+ flags, and a large print of a piece that Lemon referred to as a zoetrope, among other elements. There are also interactive art stations where gallery-goers can add their own pieces on the strengths and struggles of the world, family, work, school and more.
The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 12 to 4 p.m., and Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.