The Art of Recovery
May 3 - June 17, 2012
Art by clients of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health can be seen at the South Carolina State Museum in the upcoming exhibit Art of Recovery.
The exhibit was put together from competitions open to people receiving services through the department. Winners of the competition, which is judged by Midlands artists, are initiated into the “Order of the Brush.”
The Art of Recovery project was started to showcase the talents of people who live with mental illnesses and the role that creative outlets like art can play in the recovery process, according to the Dept. of Mental Health. The project also gives the artists the chance not only to exhibit their art, but to sell it as well, though the pieces in the museum’s show are not for sale. The participants use a variety of media as a means of expression and recovery, including oil and watercolor.
The DMH says that the program seeks not only to empower clients, but also to educate the public about, and dispel the stigma associated with, mental illness. Among the pieces museum guests will see are “Two Men,” a 1996 charcoal pencil work by Tomara Moss, and “The Audience,” a 2012 creation of oil crayon, acrylic resin, phosphorous paint and glitter, by Robert Ashley.