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In the Flow: Artists from The Living
Museum
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March
10, 2002 - July 7, 2002
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The
therapeutic value of art has long been observed, but only
recently understood. Throughout history, countless individuals
have experienced the healing powers of art, using their
creative talents to sooth the psyche, uplift spirits,
and nurse emotional wounds.
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Nowhere
is this phenomenon better understood than at the Creedmoor
Psychiatric Center, a state institution in Queens Village
and home to the Living Museum-a 40,000 square foot art
studio and gallery that offers a supportive, nurturing
environment to artists coping with mental illness. The
patients residing in this dynamic community display an
extraordinary talent for creating visually aesthetic works
of an exceptionally high caliber. Selected artists from
this collective bring their works to the QMA in the groundbreaking
exhibition, In the Flow: Artists from the Living Museum.
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James Correa
acrylic on wood
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Issa Abrahim, Follow the Leader,
oil on canvas, 1994
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Bolek Greczynski, Chair,
cotton sheets and chair, 1992
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Lenny, Bag
cardboard and belts, 1992
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John C. Mapp, Karen's Room,
ink on paper, 2001
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The Living
Museum is a pioneering institution, having established
the first collection of art of people with mental illness
in the United States. Co-founded in 1983 by the late artist
Bolek Greczynski, and the psychologist and artist, Dr.
Janos Marton, the museum provides a space where individuals
beset with mental illness can be accepted as artists and
work among colleagues. The outcome of their collaboration
is a stress free environment in which patients can redefine
negative self-images, and establish their existence as
artists who happen to have a psychiatric diagnosis. Surrounded
by a sense of camaraderie and encouragement, the members
of this community are free to create, without the pressures
and judgmental observations of the outside world.
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In a world
where conformity to social norms is expected, and eccentric
behavior ridiculed, the Living Museum provides a refuge
for the idiosyncratic, yet inspired thoughts people with
mental illness. According to Marton: "Mental illness
and art are a natural combination. People who have a mental
illness are extremely blessed with artistic creativity."
The patients' release their frustrations by using their
art to channel emotions, communicate thoughts, and confront
problems.
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The agitated
hyper reality associated with many types of mental illness-a
heightened awareness of surrounding stimuli and the individual's
own thought process-ironically feeds the creative process.
When in touch with these emotions and sensations, the
artist is considered "in the flow" of inspiration-a
source that has fueled the genius of no less than Vincent
Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock. This exhibition helps viewers
to develop a better understanding of the artists living
with mental illness.
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The QMA is
a most appropriate venue to house this unique exhibition.
ArtAccess, the museum's educational program for individuals
with special needs, offers an array of workshops for children
and adults with a variety of emotional, cognitive, and
physical abilities. The QMA was one of the nation's first
cultural institutions to provide educational services
to the developmentally and mentally disabled, and continues
to serve as a model for other museums.
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In the Flow
has been generously supported in part by Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company and IDB Bank (Israel Discount Bank of New
York).
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