06/18/2026
Janis McGrory ’76 and Carol Cushenette ’76, who first met as freshmen in 1971, both became engineers and have remained close friends for the past 50 years. Some of those years were more difficult than others.
In 2011, McGrory lost her daughter Liz to a he**in overdose. Liz was only 23 years old.
Ever since, McGrory has been involved in campaigns to stop the stigma around substance abuse. With the help of Cushenette, one of those initiatives has now come to Hotel Downstreet in North Adams.
“Into Light,” an exhibition of 30 illustrated portraits, is on view through the end of June. Founded by Teresa Crowler after the loss of her son to overdose, the exhibit brings visibility, dignity, and humanity to people too often defined only by their addiction.
Since 2019, these exhibits have been held across the country. In North Adams, the biographies and images of 10 local individuals lost to substance abuse join 20 portraits and narratives from the eastern part of the state, where McGrory resides.
The tender illustrations and firsthand stories of those lost to addiction bring home the true cost of the epidemic. “It makes it real to people when you can see our kids, our future that we’ve lost to this disease,” says McGrory.
Crowler has curated 21 of these exhibits across the country, with more in the works. Cushenette, based in Adams, says the local exhibit was a group effort sponsored by the HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Coalition, Berkshire Health Systems, and several trusts and organizations. Hotel Downstreet offered its gallery space for free. The coalition is administered through the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and supported by opioid settlement funds from eight North County municipalities who pooled their money to expand its impact.
“We’ve gotten so much support from the community,” Cushenette says. “It’s amazing.”
“Into Light” can be viewed through the end of June at Hotel Downstreet. On Wednesday, June 24, a forum will be held at the gallery to discuss substance use and housing.
📷: McGrory and Cushenette at the exhibit opening, courtesy Stephanie Zollshan; Liz's story
