The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work is hosting an “Into Light” exhibition that displays pencil-drawn portraits and written narratives of 34 Central Texas residents who died from drug overdoses, bringing together families of victims, artists, and addiction advocates in Austin, Texas.
The traveling exhibition, displayed at Walter Webb Hall, features graphite portraits of people who died from substance use disorders, along with written accounts of their lives. The project aims to document overdose victims and present their personal histories through art and narrative.
Among the portraits are Josh Bell, 33, and Brandon Lasch, 27, who died from overdoses in separate incidents. Their mothers, Annie Hernandez and Lisa Lasch, met through a grief support group at the Christi Center after their sons’ deaths. They later contributed their sons’ stories to the Into Light project.
Hernandez said her son began misusing prescription opioids after receiving pain medication following a car accident and later used heroin. Lasch said her son struggled with addiction and received treatment before his death in 2019. Both families said fentanyl exposure was believed to be involved in the overdoses.
The Into Light project was founded by artist Theresa Clower after her son died from an overdose in 2018. Clower began creating graphite portraits as part of her grief process and later expanded the work into a traveling exhibition focused on overdose victims in different states. She said artists involved in the project aim to depict subjects in full life narratives.
The Austin exhibition is the 21st state installation of the project and is hosted by the UT School of Social Work. Each portrait is accompanied by a written narrative describing the individual’s life, interests, and circumstances.
Addiction researchers and advocates at the university said overdose deaths in Texas increased significantly between 2019 and 2024, driven largely by fentanyl in the drug supply. They also reported that drug-related deaths in Travis County declined by 22% between 2023 and 2024.
Officials at the UT Addiction Research Institute said increased access to naloxone and broader public training in overdose response contributed to the decline. They also cited ongoing stigma as a barrier to treatment for people with substance use disorders.
The U.S. addiction treatment system continues to reach a minority of people with substance use disorders, according to researchers, who estimated that about 20% of affected individuals received treatment in 2024.