A VISUAL EXPLORATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Unquiet Mind: A Visual Exploration of Mental Illness explores mental illness and its relation to the arts. Through the visual personal accounts in the show, the exhibition creates a space that brings awareness to the stigma surrounding mental illness and begins the conversation on the relationship between art, healing, and advocacy.

Art therapy is an effective method in the treatment of mental illness and it aids greatly in recovery. Art is also a powerful and unconventional way to communicate with the world. The Unquiet Mind explores this intersection of art and advocacy, while also taking a look at the healing power of art making.

Opening Reception: May 1, 5:30-7:30pmMay 1, 2015 - June 27, 2015

Gallery Hours: Saturdays 11am-4pm

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STATEMENT FROM THE CURATOR

Mental illness is widespread. Art is everywhere. Mental illness is draining. Art is healing. Since the start of treatment for my mental illnesses in 2009, mental illness and art have been inherently intertwined in my life. At first, I was using art to express what was going on in my head for my own personal sanity. But soon, I was introduced to art therapy while in treatment. I saw how much I benefited from this expressive therapy and took notice of how it was helping the other patients as well. I realized that the relationship between this immense suffering and the freedom of making was not a coincidence. Art moves people. It evokes emotion from the artist during the making and from the viewer during the viewing.

Art can give us a glimpse into the mind of the maker, and that glimpse can push us to not only understand but to advocate. Art can be a catalyst for change. There is power within art, both as a method of activism and as a tool for recovery. I believe that these two are intrinsically related and work together for change.

The work in this show offers visual accounts of these concepts. They are raw and honest looks into mental illness, each unique in the artist’s experience. Beyond their artwork, each artist has written about themselves and their relationship to these topics in the hopes of opening minds and hearts to the issues at hand.

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NATALIE PADBERG BARTOO

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ABOUT THE ARTISTNatalie Padberg Bartoo is an artist and illustrator from Hartford, Connecticut who studying to obtain her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at MICA. Her artwork examines themes such as spirit, emotion, and growth. She works primarily in drawing, printmaking, and digital mediums.

ABOUT “MY HEAD IS IN THE CLOUDS AND THERES A STORM OUTSIDE”my head is in the clouds and theres a storm outside is a representation of how I feel during depressive episodes. I often find that when I am feeling especially depressive and distant, drawing expressive self portraits illustrating my feelings helps me deal with my emotions and understand what is happening. This piece began as a doodle on a day where I felt unable to process or understand my emotions, and evolved into a full fledged painting. During the painting process I was able to work through and dispel the dissociation I originally felt. You could say that the creation of the piece functioned almost as a cure for the mental discord that inspired it.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTA lot of my art focuses on my experiences with depression. For me, my tenuous recovery from depression is a steady source of inspiration for artmaking, and the process of making facilitates recovery. During times when I am feeling unhealthy, drawing is one of the things in my self care ‘toolbox’ that helps me weather the storm. In this way, my mental health and art practice are intimately entwined.

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KAITLIN BEEBE

ABOUT THE ARTISTKaitlin Beebe is a sophomore studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art, majoring in Printmaking. Currently, Kaitlin is exploring multiple themes in her work. Some works look at her anxieties and how they are channeled through her hands (for example hand tremors), other prints and drawings deal with images from nature in an abstracted manner, and, most recently, Kaitlin has begun a series of disfigured self-portraits that observes the artist’s body images in a collage format. Favored media of the artist are: relief printmaking (wood and linoleum), monotypes, collage, and lithography.

ABOUT “STONES OF ANXIETY, ABYSS OF PANIC”When I first started treatment for a panic disorder my doctors asked me repeatedly “what triggered this last panic attack?” I always struggled to give an answer because there was never one thing, I had a hundred ways to the world could end racing through my mind! But at one point a very clear image came to me- a stack of stones on the edge of a cliff. Each stone representing a different anxiety. When I have a panic attack it is like all the stones falling over the cliff into this dark abyss. The stones of anxiety are threatening me, they all need attention and I become so overwhelmed I can’t breathe or really see. I have convinced myself that while in this state I was going to die. However, with time I have learned to cope with the panic attacks and manage the stones so that I can enjoy the view.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTMaking work inspired by my mental illness allows me to wade through all of my experiences and identify which ones have made me stronger; appreciate the independence, confidence, and perspective I have gained through my struggles. These opportunities extend to my loved ones and the public, presenting them with the chance to understand me and hopefully inspire them to do some self-reflection. Knowing ourselves permits us to know others, which sanctions change and positivity.

ELLERY BRYAN

ABOUT “DENIAL//DISSOCIATION”This project is the embodiment of the experience of separating oneself from reality. When confronted by severe trauma, a common coping mechanism reported among victims is the ability to leave one’s body and escape from presence. While I was floating somewhere above my body, I drew the sketches from which these sculptures were born. I perceived the person below me to be unfamiliar and devoid of the ability to experience the world with bodily senses, my head replaced by beautiful flowers and off-putting extremities underlying the bouquets of my dream-like perceptions. I saw these figures in myself while experiencing states of denial and dissociation, and these sculptures bring those unsettled feelings to life.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTI don’t know what it’s like to live without a mental illness, and I am unfamiliar with the experience of creating art without the motivation of communicating that experience to the world. To me, my illness and my art are inseparable. Art is the translator, the bridge between what happens in my head and helping others understand. That unmitigated expression is how I am able to overcome. I want everybody to experience that.

ABOUT THE ARTISTI am a ceramic and fiber artist studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I grew up in an unsettled environment and struggled with addiction, trauma and a severe mood disorder from a very young age. I often feel that I can map my life out by tracing the space between setbacks. I made the decision to study at MICA two years after getting sober, but struggled with an eating disorder and a sexual assault during my freshman year, for which I was hospitalized for most of the summer. During that time, I became familiar with the characters in my sculptures. I think I regrew a part of myself during treatment, and I think that whatever it was fueled me to insist upon my own victory. Part of validating my experience was bringing it to life through my artwork, transferring it into a tangible medium with which I could negotiate. My art is my voice, is my weapon, and is my victory over silence. Advocating through my work has opened doors to on-campus activism, community leadership and more fulfillment than I have ever experienced before.

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ABOUT “SO HE COULD SCREAM AND STILL RELAX”For this piece, I wrote down and rubbed away stories of my experience loving someone struggling with mental illness, stories I’m uncomfortable talking about because they don’t feel like mine to tell. Mirrors interrupt these words because we can only hear such stories within our own realms of experience, making conversations about mental illness that much more difficult.

ABOUT “QUIVER”“Quiver” holds a story I needed to tell. I do not know what it means yet, only that it is as honest as I have ever been. It is informed by my history, looking back on my experience with depression and recovery, on relationships as well as my psyche.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTAs soon as I discovered it, art became my primary outlet for sharing my experience with mental illness. It allows me to express what I struggle to put in words, to grow and learn through the continuous process of creation and reflection. At the same time, I have hesitated in talking about my work and telling my story openly. Realizing this, I began the transition from privacy to activism. This is the first time I have stated publicly that my art deals with mental illness, a huge step, and I aim to keep moving forward.

ABOUT THE ARTISTAmy Carlson is a quietly overzealous idealist, artist, and writer stretching her Midwestern roots to attend MICA. Exploring personal narratives by breaking them down into underlying emotions, her work leaves meaning ambiguous while conveying specific emotions. She seeks raw honesty of emotion in her work and hopes to encourage the same in others.

When not creating something, Amy can be found tending her cacti, researching anything from basalt columns to Lord Byron’s love life, and exploring new places. While still focusing on her artistic practice, she hopes to wander through every idea and field that comes her way and continue reveling in the possibilities.

AMY CARLSON

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MORGAN DUONG

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTEven when the subject matter is not directly related to anxiety, I have always found art making to be one of three things: anxiety inducing, meditative, or a release of anger and frustration caused by anxiety. I have currently gotten to a point where painting is extremely meditative and calm, helping me escape from the troubles of life outside the studio, but in the past, I would use art making specifically for its ability to induce anxiety creating work that absorbed he reactions of my body to that anxiety. This process has allowed me to grow more comfortable with the art making process and I have transformed from frantic fast paced drawings to calm, and more thought-out paintings that tell the story of anxiety rather than are the story of anxiety.

ABOUT THE ARTISTMorgan Duong was born in 1995 in the small town of Tarpon Springs, Florida. She received an Associate of Arts degree from St. Petersburg College in 2012. Currently she is continuing her education, working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), expecting to graduate in 2016. Her work focuses on personal narratives, using the figure along with a distinctive color palette in order to portray metaphorical scenes of her experiences.

ABOUT “CLOUDED”“Clouded” represents my state of mind during an anxiety attack. Small parts of me know I can leave the cloud of anxiety, but most of the time, I just feel trapped. No matter what a loved one does to try to help me, no one can bring me out of the cloud but myself.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTMental Illness and Art are like the couple in high school whom everyone knew were made for each other and years later you see them featured in a Huff Post article on their 80th wedding anniversary, still holding hands. It is a connection that has long been documented and celebrated throughout history. I believe the creative force can be very strong among those who have mental illness. For many people that I’ve known, there is often a unique drive and passion to create art. Personally, I find that art heals. When I’m creating a piece, the process helps me by calming and focusing my thoughts and energy. Art is a powerful tool in maintaining my health, and I’ve seen it benefit many others as well.

BRIANNE LANIGAN

ABOUT “MIRROR IN THE SKY”Mirror In The Sky illustrates the beauty of overcoming and finding freedom from injustices and afflictions. Whether the injustice be a relationship, an illness, or something that troubles one’s mind or heart, taking the steps needed to work towards a solution can bring great freedom and relief to a difficult situation.

ABOUT “WE OWE EACH OTHER THE WORLD”We Owe Each Other The World depicts the long awaited moment when something shills, something clicks, and the depression begins to lilt. The depression that roared in suddenly like a tornado, obliterating all signs of hope, contentment, and happiness and replacing them with misery, devastation, and isolation is now fading away. Color starts to return to life, along with the great gratitude for the people who supported you and loved you through it.

ABOUT THE ARTISTBrianne Lanigan is a thirty-two year old artist who currently lives and works in Arlington, VA. In addition to participating in art shows in Arlington, her art has been featured in galleries in Soho, NYC and Los Angeles, California. Brianne comes from a long line of Irish storytellers. She has chosen the medium of mixed media collage to tell her story and continue the tradition. Her work captures and evokes the wild spirit of dream worlds. Through the assemblage of these worlds, Brianne reveals moments and experiences from her life. Employing mixed media has granted Brianne the ability to be an astute observer of the meaning and significance of events and situations and to communicate these observations in her art.

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RACHEL MARTINO

ABOUT THE ARTISTRachel Martino is a nineteen year old student studying Interdisciplinary Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is originally from Long Island, New York. She explores using a wide range of techniques in her work including welding, woodworking, mold-making, knitting and crocheting, weaving, hand and machine sewing, silkscreening, and wheel throwing. Her work aims to explore perception and ask simple questions that lead to deeper thought.

ABOUT “DEDICATIONS”“Dedications” was created in 2013. My thought was to use my hair, something that I had made an active choice to cut off in a performance piece, and use it to represent parts of my old self. By making these plaques and dedicating my tufts of hair to different aspects of my eating disorder, I was actively choosing to cut them off as well. This was the first time I every blatantly referenced my eating disorder in a piece of art. I had created work previously that hinted at something, but I was always very careful not to expose too much. Before the creation of these plaques I could count the number of people I had told on one hand. This was the first time I stood in front of a group of people and said the words out loud.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTI don’t believe mental illness is something that you can be cured of. It’s something that will always be a part of you. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. My “disease” is what makes me the person I am today. What I do believe is that people can recover. Art is one of the things that helped me do so, and is still helping me to this day. I feel it is my responsibility as a survivor and an artist to create work that uses my experiences. Art gives me a way to expose things about myself that I think are important, but are difficult to discuss. It’s a part of me, just like my eating disorder, that will always be there.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTI am currently a junior Interactive Arts major at MICA. With my work, I focus on queer topics, technology, and people’s interactions with technology and their environment.

I work towards a different future, where everything that is designed focuses on designing for the end user. Whether that is the built environment considering who and how it will be inhabited or used, or how people use technology and making it work for them instead of people changing what they do to interact with technology. I feel considering how diverse people are, in background, culture or ability, is the first step towards that future.

ABOUT “ANXIETY”Anxiety is something I never knew I experienced, it is just something that frames how I see and interact with the world. This piece is an unedited recording where I speak my inner monologue and spark my anxiety. I wondered how people would respond to hearing what is going on within me, even when I am silent and seem calm.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTHaving anxiety has kept me from speaking and really doing anything in front of people. It has been an uphill battle to finally be comfortable talking in front of people, let alone actually speaking about my thoughts or opinions. I have also been terrified of doing anything outside of what is specified as being okay or “right”. Most of my life has been, and is, me living in the fear of being “wrong”. I’ve always been afraid of sticking out.

With art, or whatever I make, has filled in as my method of communication, or more accurately expression. Art allows me to make whatever I have in mind, and encourages me to really shake up the “normal”. There aren’t really rules, I can’t really be wrong, and I don’t have to worry about people’s reactions or responses.

I make the things I do to take my feelings, package them up and send them off into the world to have a life of their own. Nothing else feels as good as a completed project. I could rant for hours on end about what I am thinking but nothing will convey how I feel as well as something I make.

Talking accurately about my feelings may not be my best skill, but I feel it all out until I get it right. The space and label of art gives me what I need to process my feelings in a way that is “acceptable” and actually allows me to say, or do, what I need to honor my feelings or the way I process things.

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SKYLAR MCCORMICK

“This is the hardest project I’ve ever had to present”

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ATHENA RIGAS

ABOUT “COMPLACENT MILK HAG: A SELF PORTRAIT”This painting is a self portrait. It is done in oil paint on canvas and is 36 inches by 40 inches.

What seems like an unsettling self portrait, “Complacent Milk Hag: A Self Portrait” is a discreet reflection of how I see myself with an eating disorder. The bright and nauseating yellow toning of the canvas alludes to vomit, and the damage my body has suffered from the acidity of it. The setting is in a kitchen, because this is an “evil” place of temptation where the never-ending ritual of binging and purging begins. The milk I am holding is fat free. This is because in our society, women are constantly pressured to be “thinner” and are always the target of “fat free” “sugar free” etc. food advertisements. The smile on my face shows how I go about my daily life with a complacent facade to cover it all up.

ABOUT THE ARTISTAthena Rigas is a 19 year old artist from New York City. Currently attending MICA, she is majoring in illustration and minoring in film and video. Many of her works revolve around deception, as she aims to make her audience uneasy by addressing uncomfortable topics such as mental health and eating disorders. The goal of her work is to create visual puzzles and riddles for her audience that bring attention to issues and ironies that are generally overlooked by most.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTArt has always played an important role in my mental health. As someone who suffers from anorexia and bulimia, creating art is my biggest outlet. When I am stressed, creating art becomes a way of exhausting myself mentally and physically in order to distract myself from my unhealthy relationships with food. Art has also been a means of self expression. Mental health is often a “taboo” topic that most people refuse to talk about, and I’ve found that my artwork is the most effective means of making a statement. It’s so much easier to put all of your thoughts into a piece than it is to say them aloud. You can’t make someone understand mental illness with just words. Creating art is the only thing that has kept me going. The satisfaction and confidence I feel after I’ve finished a piece is unmatched. I find that the only reason I even try to recover is to stay healthy enough to keep on creating and keep on putting art out into the world. It’s empowering.

ALYSE RURIANI

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTMental illness has always had a presence in my life. It’s in society, it’s in my family, and it’s in me. My personal struggle with mental illness has affected every aspect of my life. And while a mental illness is an unfortunate and often chronic disorder, it did bring some good into my life.

Through my experience with mental illness and treatment, I found art therapy. I benefited from the healing power of art and found art to be useful to my recovery and over all wellbeing. I watched it transform my life as well as the lives of the other patients.

I had always loved art, but with these new experiences came a love and understanding of art deeper than I thought possible. I began to get interested in not only art therapy, but art as a tool for activism. Art grabs the attention of those who view it, and I believed that art could change the minds and hearts of those who have trouble understanding mental illness.

Art challenges my fear of my depression, of my borderline personality, of my anxiety, of my suicidal tendencies. It challenges me to do something about it- and from there, I started creating. I created for my sanity. I created for my recovery. I created for others to understand. I created for others to see. I create things that may make people uncomfortable, but that is how it makes an impact. My work forces you to look at the side of someone most people don’t want to see. My work is meant to be a raw, honest look at life- especially the “bad” parts.

ABOUT THE ARTISTAlyse Ruriani is a twenty year old artist, designer, and advocate living in Baltimore while she attends MICA. Much of her work revolves around exploring the human experience, evoking emotion, and reflecting upon the dichotomies in life. She hopes to spark conversations and open minds through her work.

Besides art, Alyse is interested in event planning, psychology, feminism, and spoken word poetry. In addition to continuing her graphic design and art practice, in the future Alyse hopes to obtain a masters of arts degree in art therapy.

ABOUT “NOTE TO SELF”This zine is a collection of photography, illustrations, scanography, and original poetry meant to be shared with others.

Starting with the initial objective of an autobiographical zine, I transformed my personal experiences in a way that could be felt universally. This is a note to myself to remember where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going, just as much as it is a note for you.

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EMILY SCHULTZABOUT “PERMEABLE MASK”This is a piece from a series I created. It was founded on the concept that people wear a “mask” to conceal their true emotions in order to be socially polite or respectful. However, this “mask” is not resilient, for we are only human. Eventually, it will wear down and maybe break leaving a wounded and scarred core. Through this series, I explored what was behind my own “mask”. For two continuous weeks, I would create a piece every day where I would cover my body in white tempera paint and lay, smash, or rub myself on a large piece of watercolor paper in a way that related to my intimate emotions of that day. After the tempera paint would dry, I would completely cover the paper and the marks I had made in black ink, therefore covering up my inner feelings. After the black ink would dry, I would take the piece and wash it completely in water. The water melted away the tempera paint revealing my mark and exposing my emotions. This process uncovered a lot of emotions that I didn’t know I had or know I was trying to suppress. It was very triggering, yet very cathartic, to literally scrub away the barriers shrouding my anxieties and doubts. I believe it is important to examine ones own barriers and discover one’s core anxieties so that they do not break through unknowingly and destructively as they so often can.

ABOUT THE ARTISTEmily Schultz is a rising junior at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is 20 years old and grew up in different regions throughout Pennsylvania. She works primarily with painting mediums, however she incorporates fibers techniques or ideologies into her pieces. A lot of Emily’s work deals with her experiences with solitude and anxiety. Recently, her work has developed to include other’s experiences as well.

In her free time, Emily enjoys active sports, knitting, feminism, and working to plan/run events. Emily hopes to travel the world and learn more about how different cultures impact mental illness and feminism and continue producing artwork about her findings.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTMental illness is something that is not often understood, creating a greater negative impact on those who suffer from it. It is not something people talk about. It is something skimmed over and brushed aside. This creates a sensation of solitude. One is left feeling like they are alone in the struggle and that there is nowhere to turn for help. I believe art can be an aid for those who feel isolated in the illness. Not only is the process of creating cathartic, but it is also a form of communication. It can serve as an aid to communicate to viewers that they are not alone.

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ABOUT “TRAMPLED”Trampled came about in a very volatile and aggressive way. One night in a studio suddenly turns into a night of throwing paint at the floor and ending up with a painting. “Trampled” was fashioned between the studio floor and a wall. The piece was approached utilizing random, aggressive handling of paint and automatism. Collage was soon introduced and eventually the portrait was pushed in with oils and acrylics. The portrait of the women is my own mother. My mom always teaches me to be kind to others, but she forgets to teach that being kind to yourself is just as important. I hold a lot of love for her. I also hold a lot of anger that would not be within me if she had made different decisions. When I started this piece I was angry and violent. “Trampled” was created through an extreme loss of control on my behalf. At this very moment she remains unfinished and I do not plan on touching “Trampled” for awhile longer.

ABOUT THE ARTISTEmma Jo Shatto was born in Pennsylvania in the mid 1990’s. She currently works and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She attends Maryland Institute College of Art. Emma Jo is pursuing her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting. Emma Jo spends time experimenting with various mediums including, house paint, collage, acrylics and sharpie marker and their relationship with space and the figure.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTMental Illness in art is incredibly honest, I think. I believe that it holds a very human and provocative foundation. I, as a an artist and a person, do not speak for all mental illnesses. I can only reveal my own perspective. I have felt depression, although I will never openly say I experience it daily. But that’s my problem. I do experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and endure Bipolar Disorder. And these two things have the ability to creep up on you, crawl into your heart and your mind, and feed you with this feeling of loss like no other. But nothing is as terrible as the abrupt lack of control and fear that pulls you up, down, around and in circles until you feel like a tornado is surrounding you. There’s panic and anger; an overwhelming sense of determination and heartache that erupts from me when I start to feel these two parts of me arise from the dark hole I keep shoving them down. I have been incredibly lucky that I find my way out of this fucking tornado through painting, my own personal method of escapism into Oz, and away from the world. I use art to come out of myself and pour everything out in front of me to analyze, order and gain perspective or control over my own sense of self. I think art can be an incredible tool for people with mental illness to utilize. It is for me.

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EMMA JO SHATTO

LAURA WEINERABOUT THE ARTISTLaura Weiner is a multidisciplinary artist living, studying and working in Baltimore, Maryland. Originally from Glenside, Pennsylvania, Weiner is seeking her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work seeks to subvert cultural norms around publicity vs. privacy. By addressing traditionally “private” issues in a “public” setting, Weiner asks viewers to evaluate their role in perpetuating social etiquette that stigmatizes the discussion of violence, sexuality and mental illness. Additionally, Weiner is excited by the notion of viewer interaction and intimacy and invites frank exploration around physical and emotional boundaries. In addition to being a visual artist, Weiner is a spoken word poet, intersectional feminist, activist and educator.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTThe relationship between mental illness and creativity is inextricably linked. People with mental illness face unique challenges that the general population does not. But we can also possess unique abilities in our creative potential. My work has always been informed by mental illness and disability but my relationship is not always positive. At times, creating artwork is less of an outlet and more of a compulsion. A visceral need to purge myself of difficult feelings. And sometimes making art is a device I use to share my story with the world. Sometimes making art can be a tool for personal catharsis and healing. Therefore, my relationship to being an artist is a lot like my relationship to mental illness; it is not a black and white relationship. It is not good or bad but rather has multiplicities and nuance.

ABOUT “SMILE”Smile is a 45-minute video performance about being denied the right to express difficult emotions, or more specifically, expressing any emotion that is not agreeable. I have found that there is an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) discomfort in expressing oneself as multidimensional or undesirable to others. Social etiquette dictates that interactions between strangers, acquaintances and even loved ones should be sterile and cheerful.

The video was filmed in one take. I prerecorded my voice saying “smile” and looped it to repeat the phrase one thousand times. During the performance, I played the audio and hit myself in rhythm with the declaration of “smile.” The phrase was repeated a thousand times in reference to the saying “death by one thousand tiny cuts.” That phrase refers to how the repetition of the well-intentioned advice to be happy can turn into harmful internal “tapes” that manifest as neurosis.

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ABOUT “HELP”HELP is a painting that articulates my relationship with experiencing trauma as both a survivor and a witness. At different points in my life I have taken on the role of the person needing help and also the person trying to help. My goal was to articulate the fluidity between both experiences.

ASHLEY WU

ABOUT “SILENT MOMENTS”Silent Moments refers to the conversations people have with themselves behind closed doors. It is the conversation in the mind that damages self-image, enforces self-frustration, and creates self-consciousness. It is a conversation that every person is forced to face as a result of media and society highlighting the false importance of fixing physical imperfections. With the figure’s anonymity, I hope it allows the viewer to take part in their own self reflection regarding any complex relationship they may have with their own body.

ABOUT THE ARTISTAshley Wu is a twenty year old fine artist and designer living in Baltimore while she attends MICA. Despite majoring in Graphic Design, Ashley grew up with a fine art background and continues to expand upon her interests in painting at the Art Academy of Hillsborough when she is home in New Jersey. Through her paintings, Ashley is interested in capturing the nuances of human life and psyche through paintings of the figure. Besides art, Ashley is interested in leadership, psychology, and media’s social impact, and she hopes to be able to open up her own design studio in the future.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTI see mental illness affecting the world around me. I see friends and family members suffer from mental illness and the negative conversations embedded in society, brought upon by the media. I see my friends around me struggling with their self-confidence regarding both their physical and emotional selves.

Mental illness touched me so quietly, in a way that no one around me noticed any difference. William Styron describes it perfectly in Darkness Visible, “It was not really alarming at first, since the change was subtle, but I did notice that my surroundings took on a different tone at certain times: the shadows of nightfall seemed more somber, my mornings were less buoyant, walks in the woods became less zestful, and there was a moment during my working hours in the late afternoon when a kind of panic and anxiety overtook me….”

I felt myself fall, and I am ever so lucky to have caught myself before I fell too deep. Art had always been a part of my life, but it became a friend that I could rely on. My studio was the place that I could escape to when I needed, to surround myself with people who accepted me. Through my experience, I became fascinated with psychology and anatomy and started paying attention to the figure and its beauty.

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LESLIE XIA

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ABOUT THE ARTISTLeslie Xia is a graphic designer based in New York who specializes in editorial design.

ABOUT “DELUSIONAL DREAMS”On one side of the throw and pillow cases reads “Dreams and Aspirations” with an infantile illustration of a “bunny” while the reverse reads “Delusions and Hallucinations” with a darker nightmarish “bunny”. This piece was initially a comment on schizophrenia and the harrowing thoughts that can keep one tossing and turning at night, but can also be translated into other forms of mental illness and interpreted openly.

ON MENTAL ILLNESS & ARTEveryone’s experience with mental illness is different and it’s easy to trivialize what another might be experiencing when one hasn’t gone through the same emotional cycles that a mental illness can force a person into. Honestly speaking, my first few experiences with mental illness were wrapped with layers of confusion and judgment. There were several instances where I saw myself not understanding how to empathize or relate to these extreme feelings that others felt. I didn’t know how I could help them and instead of trying to open the doors, I shut them out. However, after an event in my life left me in a crippled state of mind, I started to feel what I couldn’t initially wrap my head around. When prescription drugs and your will as a human being are the only things that can get you through a tough time, it’s a fight that is more than personal.

Although this piece of work does not full embrace the feelings that are experienced by having a mental illness, I hope it brings the viewer awareness, and I hope this show helps open that door that took me forever to find.

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REFLECTION SPACE

How are you feeling?

Did a certain piece resonate with you? If so, which one(s) and why?

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What are your thoughts about the relationship between mental illness and art?

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LOCAL AND NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS

Local Mental Health OrganizationsBehavorial Health System Baltimore: bhsbaltimore.org

Network of Care: baltimorecity.md.networkofcare.org/mh

Sheppard Pratt Health System: sheppardpratt.org

Key Point Health Services: keypoint.org

Mosaic Community Services: mosaicinc.org

Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc (BCRI): bcresponse.org

On Our Own Incorporated: onourownbaltimore.org

Maryland Community Services Locator: mdcsl.org

GLBT Hearts and Ears: heartsandears.org

National Mental Health OrganizationsActive Minds, Inc

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA)Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

American Foundation for Suicide PreventionMental Health America (MHA)

National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA)National Institute of Mental Health

National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery

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Local HotlinesBaltimore Crisis Response: 410-433-5175

Grassroots Crisis Intervention: 410-531-6677

Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline: 800-422-0009

CrisisLink Hotline: 703-527-4077

Maryland Crisis Hotline: 1-800-422-0009

Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-422-0009

National HotlinesNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800--273-TALK

National Hopeline Network: 1-800-442-HOPE

NEDA Helpline: 1-800-931-2237

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

Crisis Call Center: 1-800-273-8255

LOCAL AND NATIONAL HOTLINES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSFaculty Advisor

Karol Martinez

Peer ConsultantsErica Benamy

MICA Student Activities Office

MICA Student Affairs Office

PNC Bank

Baltimore Collegetown Network

No Pins Framing

Baltimore Office and Promotion of the Arts (BOPA)

Bromo Arts District

Melissa WebbExhibitions Manager for BOPA

Karol MartinezDirector of Student Activities and Mentor

Ryan LauterPhotographer

Alyse RurianiDesigner and Curator

ADDITIONAL THANK YOU; FROM THE CURATOR:

Karol Martinez for being my mentor, Melissa Webb for making this a reality, Kirsten Brinlee and Kristen McGuire (and class five) for support through Leadershape, Kristin Lang for believing in me, Stephanie Baker for being just as passionate about mental health as I am, Gilles Stromberg for telling me everything will be okay, Layla MacRory for being my best friend/driver/the real MVP, Ryan Lauter for always being my event photographer, all the artists who submitted for giving me wonderful options, my family and friends for loving and supporting me in all my endeavors.

“The arts are not a frill. The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature, and help to shape our identity. What is there that can transcend deep difference and stubborn divisions? The arts. They have a wonderful universality. Art has the potential to unify. It can speak in many languages without a translator. The arts do not discriminate. The arts can lift us up.”–Former Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan