FAQ for ART AS MEDICINE

Thank you to everyone who has emailed about this new curatorial effort. Many good questions have been asked and answered, so here for your review is an FAQ:

Q: Is there a deadline for submissions?
A: At this time there is no deadline, though as submissions arrive and time marches on a deadline will be implemented. If you are interested in submitting your work for consideration for ‘Art As Medicine’ I encourage you to send it sooner than later, but if you want to wait, check back either via email or by viewing this blog to see if a deadline has been implemented.

Q: Where will this exhibit be presented - online only, or in a physical place?
A: This is not an on-line exhibition. I am an independent curator and I create exhibitions by either developing a theme then finding artists to fit the theme, or having artists I want to work with and then coming up with a concept that suits their work. After a theme and group of artists is formed I then search for an appropriate venue - therefore, there is not yet a set location for this exhibition, I am currently in the stage of production where I have developed a theme and I am now gathering a group of artists.

Q: What timeframe are you planning for the fruition of this exhibition??
A: It is my intention that ‘Art As Medicine’ will be produced in 2009 or 2010.

Q: Is there an ultimate objective other than a show such as an event, a film documentary, or expanded web site, etc.?
A: The plan for this project is to create an exhibition bringing awareness to issues of artists navigating mental illness. Most art exhibitions have an event component, and this one probably will too, though no specifics are being planned at this time.

Q: Is this exhibit be juried?
A: As the Curator of 'Art As Medicine' I will be evaluating submission for this show and working with artists who are selected to participate as the exhibition production gets underway.

Q: How and when will exhibitors be notified that their work is accepted?
A: If an artist's work appears to be a good match to the show theme based on their submission I will then make arrangements to see the work in person, after which time the artist will be notified about inclusion into the show. There is no deadline at this time for submissions or notification. I will be emailing each artist after receiving their submission.

Q: Will there be any competition for awards associated with this exhibition?
A: This exhibition does not involve any form of competition for prizes.

Art As Medicine: Show Statement

Art As Medicine: Artists Exploring Mental Illness

Self-analysis, autobiography, and self-expression have been prominent themes in visual art throughout history. Lucien Freud said of his work, “The subject matter is autobiographical, it's all to do with hope and memory and sensuality and involvement, really." Curator Emmanuel Cooper said of painting by Francis Bacon, “there was a powerful subversive element in his compositions with much of his chosen subject matter searingly autobiographical. These often dealt with his own homosexuality, his intimate and often anguished relationships, and his own uneasy association with the world in general.” And in an exhibition produced by the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, Cheryl Brutvan wrote of work by Charlotte Salomon, “Salomon was told by her grandfather of the family’s tragic history, which included at least six suicides. In order to handle this overwhelming news, Salomon, living in virtual isolation, worked obsessively for just under two years to translate the extraordinary circumstances of her life. The horror of the time in which Salomon lived, as well as the happy events of her life, particularly of her early childhood, are realized in her paintings through fictional characters who are closely aligned with actual family and friends.” There is also photography by Francesca Woodman whose work that has been described as, “A personal kind of research. Woodman devoted herself to the exploration of the visible landscape of her body and its invisible counterpart, her psyche. ”

Artists have expressed their most inner secrets and explored their deepest anxieties both purposefully and unconsciously for centuries. In our modern society of daily emotional exploration spouted in blogs, with therapists, through music, and on televised psychology shows, making artwork about neurosis, phobias, paranoia, abuse, and depression is crawling its way to the forefront though a growing acceptance and treatment of mental illness. Art As Medicine brings together contemporary artists working in a variety of media. Each exhibiting artist is involved in a journey of the self and makes their work about the interior illness, pain, and struggle in their own mind, and in the lives of loved ones. Through symbolism, portraiture, spoken and meditative works, these artists show brave abandon in creatively sharing what they may never speak about. Through imagery and design they show viewers what they may not otherwise be able to put into words. Sometimes it is physically making the art that quiets the voices. Sometimes having realized a feeling in material form it can more easily be managed. Through writing and sound the artists of Art As Medicine express what they may not otherwise be able to speak aloud. It is so often that through the process of making the art that healing is found, and and with the healing a peace may be achieved.

1. Gianni Romano - Milano Oct.1998, for PhotoArts
2. Fred Turner - AUGUST 31, 1998, for Weekly Wire