When representatives from FACEing Mental Illness, SRQ Strong and the Spaaces Art Gallery got together last year to discuss a collaboration centered on art, mental health and building community, the “Common Ground: Finding the Connections Within Our Human Struggle” project was born. Many months, conversations and hours of work later, the artwork of the project is ready for its debut.
On Friday, April 5, from 6-8 p.m. at the Spaaces Art Gallery, 2051 Princeton St. in Sarasota, twelve teams — each comprised of a professional artist and someone with lived mental health experience — will reveal the pieces they have created for the project. These works — in many mediums, ranging from paintings, sculpture and found objects to an interactive installation — were inspired by the vision of finding the commonalities in their mental health journeys and normalizing the challenges we all face sporadically in our emotional lives.
The show is a fascinating look not only at the creative gifts we all have within ourselves, but the thoughts, emotions and feelings we all experience, regardless of whether we have a named diagnosis or condition. Far from being dark and disturbing, these pieces are universally hopeful and inspirational.
The takeaway is universal: We can overcome the psychological and emotional hurdles in our lives when we realize we are not alone in facing them.
Please treat yourself to attendance at this uplifting (and free) exhibition. If you’d like to learn more about the artists, their process and the three organizations sponsoring the project, we hope you’ll also join us for a Zoom panel discussion during the Giving Challenge on April 9, from 6-7:30 p.m., where you’ll have an opportunity to show your support for these organizations and express your enthusiasm for more collaborative projects like this one. (You can register to receive the Zoom link here.)
Our greatest thanks go to the artists who have shared their talents — uncompensated but with loyal commitment — and supported our vision. We also thank the donors who contributed to our modest budget for the project and hope they will be attendance at the reception so that we may honor their generosity.
And finally, thanks to the many FMI Substack readers, whose subscriptions and comments have supported my own dedication to this project and to erasing the stereotypes and stigma of brain disorders and building a more inclusive, and less discriminatory, community.