Hope: “The bottom is not the end; it’s where we begin” with Michael Blanchard

Michael Blanchard, a well-known voice of addiction recovery and a photographer, writer, and gallery owner on Martha’s Vineyard, will speak Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Universal Unitarian Society of Martha’s Vineyard. His talk, at 10 am at UUSMV’s Stephens Chapel, 238 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, is titled, “The bottom is not the end; it’s where we begin,” will center on the use of photography and art as his road to recovery.

Photography became a lifeline for him after he left a court-mandated in-house recovery center— a way to reconnect with beauty, community, and spirit. That journey led him to publish two books, Through a Sober Lens and Fighting for My Life, both honored with Ben Franklin Awards for inspirational writing and photography. His recovery story has resonated widely, earning endorsements from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lance Bass, and his Crossroads Gallery was named Best Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard in 2019. His work has been featured in Vineyard Style, Cape Cod Life, Photography Today, and other publications, and Recovery Today Magazine once called him “the Ansel Adams of Recovery Photography.”

Michael has raised more than $50,000 for island nonprofits through his annual calendars and regularly donates his time and work to support addiction recovery and mental health programs. Through speaking, writing, workshops, and simple conversations with strangers who walk into the gallery in tears, he shares a message that beauty can save us, community holds us up, and no one is beyond hope.
View our OOS here: UUSMV OOS January 11, 2026