Thursday, June 07, 2007

Brushes With Life Reception

Bill Wyatt

Panzanella, Carrboro's Community-Owned Italian Eatery, presents

Brushes with Life: Art, Artists, & Mental Illness
May 22, 2007 through July 29
Public Reception: Monday, June 11, 5:30 - 7:30pm

The name of this exhibit is also the name of a patient art gallery located on the 3rd floor of the UNC Neurosciences Hospital outside of the Psychotic disorders inpatient unit. It is part of the Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program (STEP) at UNC, which provides inpatient and outpatient care of people dealing with psychotic symptoms or illnesses such as Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder. The gallery features artwork and poetry from STEP inpatients, clinic outpatients, and clients from Club Nova, a local clubhouse for the mentally ill. The initial goal of the gallery was to give our artists a permanent art space to display their creativity and art to a wider audience. Additionally we hoped to promote art and healing. We also target stigma associated with mental illness demonstrating people with serious mental illnesses such as Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, and Bipolar disorder can be productive and creative.

"Brushes With Life" has also had numerous traveling shows around the state over the years including the NC Museum of Art and the RDU International Airport. This August the gallery is slated for an exhibit at the Carrboro Art Center. The permanent collection is on display on the 1st floor of UNC Neuroscience Hospital.

This exhibit will also include Peer Tree mirror frames handcrafted by artisans using the traditional techniques of genuine gold leafing and painted finishes. Each frame is a work of art uniquely designed, crafted, and signed by the artist.

The website is www.brusheswithlife.org and the email is stepart@med.unc.edu.

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