The menagerie of phrases and pictures is like the swirl of contradicting thoughts in her head.
 

Motivational phrases like "Don't Blame Yourself ... Change Yourself!" are interspersed with pictures of scissors and sayings like "In the Cut." The background is a colorblocked churn of red.

The collage, by a 17-year-old known only as Olivia, can be viewed at "As I See It," a new exhibit in the Laguna Art Museum's Young Artists Society Gallery featuring works made by teen residents of the Laguna Beach CSP Youth Shelter.

The six-bed shelter, houses boys and girls from the ages of 11 to 17 for short periods, offering them a structured environment.

During a typical voluntary 2- to 4-week program, youths take part in counseling and art therapy, tutoring and prevention education.

The 12 pastel, collage, acrylic and ink pieces, which were all created in 2005, are as diverse as the youth who created them.

The subject of Olivia's artwork is cutting, the practice of self-injuring by cutting one's skin with knives or other sharp objects. Cutting is considered by experts to be an unhealthy coping mechanism; a way to relieve tension or feel in control. It has become increasingly popular among teens, according to a 2006 report by the American Psychological Association.

Markedly different is 15-year-old Alyssa's collage, which features Converse sneakers, peonies, a cell phone, the beach, the word "shopping" and a logo from "The Real OC" television show.

Caroline, age 17, depicted a serene-faced nude girl, hair flying up like flames as she rises from what seems like a deep red hell into a vibrant blue-green world above.

And 16-year-old Evan created a timeline of his life, with portrayals of himself in every year of his life. He wears t-shirts in many of those years with slogans such as "Dork," "Loser" and "Oblivious, Man!" as he describes vignettes from his life.

Describing himself as "goth" in the most recent depiction, he wrote, "I'm not the anti-Christ; I just bring Jesus' will. Spooky!"

The exhibition came into being when volunteer members of the Assistance League of Laguna Beach were struck by the high quality of the work produced during art therapy sessions at the shelter.

"'As I See It' is meant to refer to that each one of these artists is an individual, and has a very specific point of view that has been set by their upbringing and the circumstances that they've triumphed over," said gallery coordinator Victoria Murphy, who designed the exhibit installation. "I've tried to see that each piece has its own spotlight."

"I think it's great that the teens were really excited about this opportunity," said shelter volunteer coordinator Tonja Becwar, adding that it boosts their self-esteem.

"That's why we think art therapy here's really important, and we're just really thankful for the Assistance League," Becwar said.

The shelter has 12 staff members, but the bulk of its workforce is comprised of volunteers.

The art therapy sessions are held by groups like the Assistance League and Laguna Outreach for Community Arts artists.

"The kids always know when they're coming in," Becwar said. "They produce a lot of artwork here."

The Assistance League's sessions on Monday nights rotate between arts and crafts such as a popular crochet/knitting class, rock painting and macramé.

Artists with Laguna Outreach for Community Arts focus more on traditional arts at their weekly studio sessions, which many of the young people participate in.

"Some of their pieces were laying around and they showed them to us," said Michelle Boyd of the Assistance League. "We were just so impressed that it spurred the idea to have a couple of the pieces displayed at the Sawdust Festival."

The success of the Sawdust exhibit last year encouraged them to approach Murphy, who agreed to the proposal.

"The residents were told that if they wanted to, they had the opportunity to lend me their work to show at the museum," Becwar said.

Becwar would show potential works to Murphy every month or so, she said, and Boyd would get them framed. Boyd also served as the main communicator between the organizations, Becwar said.

Murphy reviewed the art the students were producing and selected the pieces to be exhibited. There were no guidelines for the residents, some of whom had prior art experience; Murphy based her choices on the works' "emotion, individuality, and expression," she said.

"I'm just so thrilled this was a reality," Boyd said. "I'm kind of in shock still."

"The museum is thrilled; we've had a lot of comments about it," Murphy said. She noted that the Young Artists Society Gallery receives separate funding from the rest of the museum, and focuses on artists in the K-12 grades.

The shelter was founded in 1979 by Community Service Programs as short-term crisis intervention, said Carol Carlson, the shelter's director. CSP also has other programs, including gang prevention, youth in the community and diversion counseling.

CSP's largest effort, Carlson said, is their victim assistance program, which provides services such as rape crisis counseling.

They also opened a shelter earlier this year in Huntington Beach.

"The purpose of our program is to be an emergency shelter and give counseling to get them back to their family members," said Carlson. "As a private nonprofit, we exist on fundraising and donations to keep these kids off the streets."

The shelter also works with the families of its residents, as many of them are runaways. Young people also end up at the shelter due to referrals from schools, police, social services, churches, service groups, neighbors or even parents who recognize that the situation has gotten out of hand.

"A lot of them will hear about us from school counselors -- they're often the first ones to know when something's wrong," Carlson said.

Those seeking shelter are usually fleeing domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse, serious communication problems or other family conflicts.

The shelter is available 24 hours a day. "We're like Denny's," quipped Carlson. "We're open 365 days a year."

The program hopes to preserve the family units and divert youths from the juvenile justice system. Chief of police Mike Sellers and Laguna Beach High School principal Nancy Blade serve on the advisory board.

The structured environment at the shelter is often something the youth crave without even knowing it, Carlson said. In addition to their regular counseling sessions, they are given chores, scheduled meals, study periods, outings, and visitations, and have to abide by a curfew.

"Ninety-six percent of last year's group graduated the program and then were positively reunited with their family members," Carlson said. The shelter serves more than 100 youths a year.

They may also choose to take on a mentor, said Carlson. These trained volunteers work with them for at least a year following the close of their time at the shelter.

Parents and teens also take part in after-care counseling and parenting classes.

In family situations where the communication has simply closed down, the shelter holds "time outs" where the family members are able to rethink the situation, and are then reunited in family sessions.