What Holds Us Together

What Holds Us Together is a ceramic mosaic triptych that depicts a narrative structured through six primary tiles that unfold along the outer panels. The piece, inspired by the layout of The Garden of Earthly Delights, depicts two paths within Gardner’s mental health journey. The left side depicts the path of never reaching out for help while the right side offers the path of intervention, hospitalization, and the gradual process of recovery. An assortment of recycled tiles and fragments of sea glass frame the center. These materials, once discarded and reshaped, symbolize renewal and the fragile but meaningful second chances that emerge through care and support. The center of the piece displays a dewy spider web, representing the storytelling nature of the piece as well as the importance in sharing experiences of mental health issues. Through this web, the piece invites viewers to consider vulnerability not as a weakness, but as a vital thread that binds individual struggles into collective understanding.