Creative Healing Space

A space for the head and heart.

Founded in 2019 by Sureeporn Sompamitwong, Creative Healing Space offers intentional time for artistic freedom to support mindfulness and overall mental and physical healing and wellness through various creative modalities.

About

CREATIVITY IS INTRINSICALLY IN YOU

We know that creativity is expansive and that everyone can be creative. That’s why we nurture our community and promote self-connection and self-care, stress and emotional management, and overall mental and physical wellness to maximize overall health and happiness. Whether you’re looking for an open mic night or a sculpting or painting event, we are ready to help you embark on a supportive process of self-expression and improvement – t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r.

NOT SURE WHAT’S YOUR GROOVE?

Creative Healing Space is ready to offer a vast array of opportunities you can tap into, like sketching, painting, writing, poetry, sculpting, music, dance/movement, photography, collaging, acting, culinary arts, or other artistic opportunities.

WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER

As a woman and minority-founded nonprofit, Creative Healing Space is a diverse community. We itself on being open and welcoming to all. Our commitment to fostering an environment of healing and life-enhancing practices is uncompromising, which is why our efforts are organic, continuing to evolve with the demands of our community. While still a small organization, we look to grow and keep aligned with our mission and vision to shape the direction of lives.

What are you waiting for? JOIN US for our next activity!

Create some space in your head and heart today!

Meet the Team

Founder & Co-Director

Sureeporn Sompamitwong

Suree was born in Thailand. She and her family won a visa lottery at age seven and relocated to Worthington, MN. While growing up, she dreamt of working in the industry and becoming a designer because of her love of fashion.

Post high school, Suree studied at Southeast Tech for one year and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion. After three years of living there, Suree eventually landed her dream job as an account executive and creative director for a women's clothing company called Monoreno.

However, in the summer of 2017, she suffered a psychotic episode at work, resulting in her admission to a psychiatric hospital. This event would later lead to her being diagnosed with bipolar.

After this, Suree moved back home and started an associate degree program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College. While there, she discovered her love for sculpting and painting as a way to heal.

As a result, Suree became passionate about helping others heal through art. These experiences led her to found Creative Healing Space.

Co-Director

Leah Bukovcan-Gossom

Art Professor, Minnesota West Community and Technical College - Worthington Campus

Leah earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the Ohio State University and completed her Ph.D. in art appreciation and art history. She has studied extensively in the Czech Republic at Charles University, where she was awarded a Foreign Language Area Studies fellowship to study art, architecture, and other Slavic languages.

A practicing artist, Leah’s paintings and mixed media works have been featured in group and solo exhibitions in the US and abroad.

Leah is a formally trained fine artist and experienced art instructor. Her teaching career started as an instructor at the Ohio State University and the Art Program Director at The Works, a museum in Newark, Ohio. Leah then went on to teach art in Prague, Czech Republic. She is currently the art Instructor at Minnesota West. She is very passionate about teaching art and is grateful to have this opportunity to share her passion.

Board of Directors

Than Than Kyaw

Family Advocate and Interpreter, Community Education - School District 518

Than is a proud resident of Worthington; he first came to the United States on Sept. 2, 2010. He spent the first 12 years in Thailand’s Nupho Refugee Camp and is the youngest of five children. In Thailand, he attended school and was instructed to some degree in four different languages: Thai, Karen, Burmese, and English.

Than has grasped every art-related opportunity that has come his way, including serving on the Worthington Public Arts Commission, volunteering to help with kids’ art activities at the Worthington Windsurfing Regattas, assisting with the wall-sized mural that brightens the Center for Active Living’s courtyard, and helping professional artists install the bridge sculpture commemorating the Crailsheim/Worthington sister-city relationship at Chautauqua Park.

Than is a family liaison for the Karen Community through School District 518’s Community Education program.

Nancy Landeros

Community Advocate at NCIC

Nancy lives in Worthington, MN. She is a native of Texas, a mother of three children, an educator, and a former employee of 10 years at the Worthington School District. She worked as a paraprofessional, administrative assistant, and program manager at the Worthington School District.

She holds an associate degree from Minnesota West Community and Technical College. She recently resigned from her position with the Nobles County Integration Collaborative to become a stay-at-home mom. One of many things that Nancy is looking forward to is building new relationships with women in her community who are stay-at-home mothers.

Creative Healing Space will provide ongoing and much-needed relationships with families and youth in the community. She looks forward to continuing her community work by serving in this capacity.

Layketa Swinea

Lakeyta Swinea, a graduate of Worthington High School, attended Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, and graduated in 2007 with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Lakeyta moved back to Minnesota and worked at the Nobles County Integration Collaborative for many years, which inspired her to pursue a graduate degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a Master’s in School Counseling. She has been a school counselor at Worthington High School since 2012.

She is passionate about helping others, not just as a school counselor but as a resident of Worthington. She believes that wellness and self-care are so vital to anyone’s success. She understands that mental health issues are real among all ages, and more services are necessary for the Worthington community.

Creative Healing Space provides an open and welcoming space for people to care for their mental wellness through the power of art. Serving on the board is an honor for Lakeyta, and she looks forward to seeing the positive impact Creative Healing Space will have in Southwest Minnesota.

Alexa Young

Petra Jimenez has lived most of her life in good ole’ Southwest Minnesota. She has four beautiful and talented children, the eldest being extremely artistically blessed and the reason Petra joined Creative Healing Space.

She thoroughly enjoys serving the diverse Worthington community and feels that art and music are essential and accessible forms of therapy that, for the most part, are free for all! You may recognize Petra as the person who greets you (in person or through the phone) as an administrative assistant with ISD 518 Community Education.

Petra is grateful for the invitation to serve on the board of directors and looks forward to serving alongside the humble, huge-hearted people at Healing Creative Space.

Contact Us

1450 College Way,

Worthington MN 56187

(507) 461-5017

info@creativehealingspace.org