For Michigan-based artist Michelle Sider, art is more than a medium—it’s a means of connection, a source of healing, and a quiet but powerful form of advocacy.

Sider, a mixed media artist in metro Detroit, is known for her luminous glass mosaics and richly textured paintings that explore themes of identity, spirituality, and the natural world. At first glance, her work may seem simply beautiful—vibrant colors, shimmering light, fluid movement—but underneath lies an intentional effort to stir hearts, spark conversation, and make change.

“I’m always, always seeking light,” Sider shared on a recent podcast episode with the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan. “Amidst the darkness, I’m looking for how light reflects on different things—sunsets over our waters, scenes from nature, things we need to value and protect.”

Advocacy Through Beauty

Sider’s work, particularly her mosaics, is deeply personal and technically ambitious. Her painterly approach—eschewing grout, cutting glass pieces with precision, and angling them to catch light—creates a dynamic interplay of movement and reflection. “At different times of the day, the colors change,” she explained. “The light makes the work come alive.”

But it’s not just about aesthetics. Her environmental pieces, inspired by Michigan’s lakes and waterways, advocate for preservation through admiration. “My advocacy is a little different,” she said. “I want to touch the heartstrings—to make people value what’s around them, so they’ll want to protect it.”

That belief in the emotional power of art is the through-line in her career, including her years as an arts educator and her academic background in psychology. “Art is another language,” she said. “It helps people tell their stories—sometimes even more freely than words.”

Healing Through Creative Expression

With a doctorate in psychology, Sider has long understood the therapeutic potential of the arts. In her classroom and workshops, she used visual storytelling to connect students with real-world issues—like when she led a project on refugee experiences and watched her students create deeply personal, empathetic work that moved entire communities.

“I had students imagine having to leave their country with just one suitcase,” she recalled. “They created pieces that told that story, and then shared them with people in the refugee program. It was powerful. That’s the kind of emotional connection art can foster.”

Sider is an advocate for Creative Arts Therapy and believes Michigan must do more to support it. “There are studies showing patients heal faster with art around them,” she said. “Mental health improves, hospital stays shorten, medication decreases. The arts aren’t extra—they’re essential.”

Turning Pain into Purpose

Nowhere is that clearer than in Sider’s more recent body of work, “From Darkness to Light,” which she presented at ArtPrize. One piece, Balancing Act, depicts a lone figure walking a gold tightrope above a stormy sea. It was created during an emotionally fraught time: after the Hamas attacks in October 2023, Sider’s son was called into military service in Gaza, while her other son experienced antisemitism on his Michigan campus.

“I was turned inside out,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I poured it into my work.”

The result was deeply personal—and deeply resonant. Viewers at ArtPrize, from all walks of life, were moved to tears. “People started sharing their own stories—of fear, loss, resilience,” she said. “One woman even gave me her bracelet, telling me, ‘You shine. You should always remember that you shine.’”

That kind of impact, Sider says, is why the arts matter. “Social media has made real conversation so hard. But somehow, through art, we can talk about things again. We can connect as human beings instead of categories.”

Art as Everyday Advocacy

Sider’s commitment to advocacy shows up in unexpected places—like a mosaic series inspired by Michigan’s crumbling roads. “I was biking, and the pavement was so bad I could barely ride. But I started noticing the cracks, the way the stones had shifted. I started photographing them,” she said. The resulting series, On the Side of the Road, uses abstract beauty to spark conversation about infrastructure.

“Advocacy doesn’t always look like testifying at the Capitol,” she said. “It can be a conversation in a gallery, a classroom project, a piece of art that makes someone pause and reflect.”

Her mantra is simple but powerful: “God gave me artistic ability, and it’s my job to use that ability to make the world a better place.”