Seeing The Invisible: Perspectives of Mental Health Art Show

 Seeing the Invisible: Perspectives of Mental Health was a theme-grounded art show that celebrates the power of the visual arts as a means of challenging stigma and discrimination of behavioral health issues.  Included artwork referenced the impacts of mental health issues, stigma, or recovery.  A portion of the sale of each piece went directly to support NAMI Louisville. 

 At the show, the attendees saw how mental illness creates a unique experience for everyone. One of the driving forces of NAMI Louisville is to meet people where they are to help them navigate mental illness. By showcasing a variety of artists and uniting them under the theme of mental illness, attendees should find one or more pieces that they can relate to. 

Our hope was that by making this first connection, people would have a better shot at developing an interest in helping curb the effects of mental illness both personally and within their peer groups. This should broaden the depth of our effectiveness, because while a table event may interest people, an art show is more likely to have a serious personal impact. 

 With Seeing the Invisible, our goal was to give artists an opportunity to transform their personal experiences into art. Their experiences differ greatly from artist to artist, and thus the final pieces will cover a wide range of mental health experiences. Some artists may utilize personal trauma or diagnosed conditions, while others may use family and friends who have struggled. The intense passion that artists have for exploring the human condition gives them the skills to create art that turns their most significant experiences into something both profound and relatable. This will make our event matter.