Outsider Art Show Brings Mental Health Awareness to the Forefront
October 04, 2005
Contact: Todd Harper
Phone: 317-630-7808
Pager: 317-310-5972
Indianapolis, October 4, 2005 - There is a longstanding connection between art and mental illness, treatment and recovery.
The Outsider Art Show at Midland Arts and Antiques Market features the showing and sale of visionary and contemporary folk art from dealers throughout the Midwest as well as outsider art and works by clients of Midtown Community Mental Health Center, a division of Wishard Health Services. Outsider artists are not trained in traditional art forms.
The show is free and open to the public on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 23 from 12 to 4 p.m. In addition to the artists from Midtown, numerous contemporary and outsider artists and dealers, most from out of state, will offer their work. Midland Arts and Antiques Market is located at 907 E. Michigan Street in downtown Indianapolis.
An Opening Night Preview Party will kick-off the weekend on Friday, October 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and are available at Midland Arts and Antiques Market or by calling 317-554-2703.
This is the eighth year for the Outsider Art Show. Proceeds benefit Midtown Community Mental Health Center. In 2004, there were more than 500,000 patient visits to Midtown facilities.
"We are delighted that Midland has again chosen to bring outsider art into the spotlight and showcase the work of our clients while supporting Midtown's programming," said Ken Guhr, clinical supervisor of Midtown's vocational services.
The works by artists from Midtown Community Mental Health Center are created through the Clubhouse and drop-in programs. These client-driven programs focus on the vocational and recreational needs of those with mental illness. Clubhouse and drop-in projects include the Midtown Clubhouse Journal newsletter and Drop-in Gazette, a thrift shop, canteen, volunteer corps and the Glad Writings Card Shop, a therapy-based greeting card design and production program.
Midtown clients Mary Ann Brown and Carole Howard will both have works of art displayed at this year's Outsider Art Show. Both women credit art for bringing joy to their lives.
"Art is the most exciting part of my life. Whether it is creating an artwork or attending an art show, it has just been a strength and inspiration for me to build on," Brown explained.
"It is the thing that keeps me going. I can work on art all day long and never get bored," Howard said.
While the first use of the term "outsider art" is not specifically attributed to any one person, during the 1970s, interest in works of art by untrained artists began to grow. Many of the early outsider art enthusiasts were especially impassioned by the work of untrained artists - eccentrics, isolates, compulsive visionaries or the mentally disabled. Collectors of this work started to call the artists "outsiders" because they were outside the mainstream of the American art community. Since then, outsider art has become a very important genre in American art and has gained much deserved recognition. Outsider art can include drawings, paintings, pottery, sculpture, photography and other media and is also known as self-taught art, art brut, tramp art and prison art.
"Outsider art has a greater audience in more urban areas; there are huge galleries where the art commands a high price," said Patsy Cram, designer, Midland Arts and Antiques Market. "Outsider art is becoming more commonplace in the Midwest and this show is a natural bridge between Midland Arts and Antiques Market and the mental health community. Although you don't have to be mentally ill to create outsider art, many outsider artists have suffered with mental illness and this is a way for Midland to help the artists feel validated."