Mental Health Art Exhibit Boston many Faces of Our Mental Health
In an ethereal display of art, ninety-nine unrecognizable faces representing the lives of those who live with the symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, have been amalgamated with the faces of those who dearest them nonetheless, making information technology impossible for viewers to distinguish who is who.
Portrait from the exhibit (Source: Museum of Science Boston courtesy photograph)
The portraits are one of 4 components of the Many Faces of Our Mental Health exhibit, which volition open on Saturday at the Museum of Scientific discipline in Boston. The showroom is role of an effort to transform the way people view mental health. The sculptor backside the captivating creation, Marblehead's Lynda Michaud Cutrell, says that "the idea is that no i is really that different." Cutrell, who received assistance from the National Brotherhood on Mental Illness Cape Ann and other local supporters, began working on the project viii years ago, with the intent of bridging the gap between art and science.
Not simply does Cutrell's mission aim to influence the style people view mental wellness, it also acknowledges the science linked to the broad spectrum of symptoms, from astute to chronic. "I'yard trying to change the fashion people think about mental health," said Cutrell.
Afterwards successfully trying her hand in the world of investment, Cutrell decided to follow her passion for the arts; an area where she besides flourished. She and then attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and earned a degree while completing an boosted fifth twelvemonth of studies. At that time, she began to paint and explore different outdoor scene techniques as well.
Portrait from the exhibit (Source: Museum of Scientific discipline Boston courtesy photo)
"But when a family unit member became ill with symptoms of mental illness, it had a powerful touch on and I couldn't paint landscapes anymore," said Cutrell. "When anyone in your family gets sick, whether with a mental illness or any other illness, everyone has the same reaction. You remember, what do I practise about this? What tin I learn nigh this? And then I delved into the scientific research."
Having reached out to Dr. Bruce Cohen, director of McLean Hospital'due south Plan for Neuropsychiatric Research, Cutrell was given a personal bout of the lab in Belmont and was able to come across with the researchers as well. "I had a lot of hope about the time to come from what I saw nether the microscope," said Cutrell. "So many families suffer in silence, and I thought about communicating the research through art. I had never seen people in recovery from mental illness symptoms, and I started to investigate that. I met and then many doctors, lawyers and actresses, among others."
After becoming active with the National Alliance on Mental Illness on a national level, and later on with NAMI Greatcoat Ann, Cutrell learned that those who suffer from mental illnesses can lead fulfilling lives. Cutrell cited Dr. Marking Vonnegut, son of writer Kurt Vonnegut equally an case of such, equally he wrote The Eden Limited: A Memoir of Insanity and is included in the 99 Faces Project: Portraits Without Labels portion of Many Faces of Our Mental Health. "He suffered a psychotic pause in his early 20s, only he managed to go to medical school and has a dandy exercise in Massachusetts," said Cutrell.
Portrait from the exhibit (Source: Museum of Science Boston courtesy photograph)
"In the media, you only hear about the horrible stories. My hope is that for all the individuals who face that new diagnosis, that they don't give up. Symptoms wax and wane, and a skilful life is still there," she further stated.
Cutrell was wholly interested in showing the authentic, existent-life aspects of how people cope with their mental illnesses. "This is non to say it goes away, and non to say information technology's not an enormous challenge, but success is out there and I wanted to show the other side. I wanted to show the hope," said Cutrell.
She further stated that, "most exhibits most people with these symptoms show dark pictures of people who are solitary and isolated. But that is but part of it. That doesn't take to be someone'southward entire life." Cutrell used an array of faces for her portraits. Of those was Glenn Close, an advocate for mental wellness. Her other subjects ranged from identical twins to award-winning authors.
Many Faces of Our Mental Health tin can be seen at the Museum of Science in Boston through Oct anest, 2017. For more information, delight visit http://www.mos.org/
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This piece is based on an commodity by Gail McCarthy for the Newbury Port News, which can be seen here.
Megan Baksh received her Bachelor of Science in Do Science at Nova Southeastern University in May of 2016, and is currently pursuing an didactics in the field of psychology.
Source: https://www.differentbrains.org/new-art-exhibit-shines-light-common-misconceptions-mental-health/
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