Patricia Bode, associate professor of art and coordinator of art education at Southern Connecticut State University, is leading a powerful, arts-based response to the opioid crisis through the Remember Love Recovery Project—an initiative born from personal loss and driven by community healing.
Founded in memory of her son, Ryan Bode Moriarty, who died of an accidential heroin overdose in 2018, the project centers on creative expression as a tool for recovery, education, and destigmatization. A musician, artist, and T-shirt designer, Ryan left behind a linoleum carving that read “Remember Love”—a message that now anchors a growing statewide movement.
Through the project, Bode has facilitated the creation of hundreds of Recovery Flags—handmade fabric flags made by individuals in recovery, people who are incarcerated, and families grieving loved ones lost to addiction. Inspired by Buddhist prayer flags and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the flags represent resilience and remembrance, with an aspirational goal of one day displaying them on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Since 2022, Bode has led workshops across Connecticut, including in correctional facilities, transitional housing programs, and public libraries—often alongside her students at Southern. Her work continues to grow as a beacon of hope and dialogue during National Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month, recently earning attention from media outlets including WNPR’s Where We Live.
Listen to the full Where We Live episode here or learn more about the Remember Love Recovery Project at rememberloverecovery.org.
Read more: Recovery Project asks people to ‘Remember Love’ (The Southern News)
