CHICAGO –– Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present Windows to the Inside: Expressions of Mental Health, a virtual exhibition that promotes awareness of experiences around mental health.
For many, times are really difficult. Many of us are feeling the impact on our mental health, and some people are feeling the effects of mental illness for the first time. From global disasters to family strife, the toll on our psyches is heavy. The Covid-19 pandemic, political turmoil, police brutality and systemic discrimination, environmental decline and conflicts at every turn… whether direct or indirect, these experiences have affected us all. How do we cope? How do we thrive? We invited artists to share the unique ways they respond to and cope with their own mental health journeys and received responses from 90 artists willing to open up and share some of their experiences with the world.
In recent years we’ve seen mental health become a focal point of political and cultural discussions. Windows to the Inside broadens the dialogue around mental health with a spectrum of visual work by 90 artists who have been responding to these tumultuous times through their art. What stories need to be told? Can art be a lifeline? Through this exhibition, we invite you to view and contemplate the stories these artists are telling, and perhaps find solidarity that we are not alone in our mental health journeys.
About the Juror:
Spear-headed by Grace Heaney, this exhibition is supported by the entire WMG team. Grace is an artist with a background in drawing, ceramic sculpture, and painting. She received her BFA in ceramics from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is currently working toward her Masters degree in clinical mental health counseling at Adler University. As an artist and advocate for mental health, Grace is interested in the intersections of art and mental health and is pursuing a career in art therapy.
Windows to the Inside Virtual Exhibiting Artists:
Michelle Alexander, Jasmine Amir, Jaime Andersen, Mariana Arrieta Ibarra, Casaundra Beard, E Boveroux, Maryanne Braine, Nicole Bricker, Jillian Bridgeman, Leigh Brooklyn, Brianna Cappelli, Alesandra Caroline, Trenna Carriker-Vanvleck, Erynn Lynn, Renee Couture, Parmalee Paula Cover, Amanda Crary Gallas, Lisa DeAbreu, Joanne Dero, Rebecca Ebben, Sally Edelstein, Sage Eubanks, Cory Favre, Coriander Focus, Gabrielle, Emily Gil, Victoria Goite, Lindsey Morrison Grant, Christine Greer, Katie Gresham, Harper Hazelmare, Stephanie Heit, Pamela Hobbs, Ruth Hong, Shelby Hubbard, Lynell Ingram, Meg Johnson, Jamila Johnson, Terri Jordan, Judith Joseph, Jennifer Kempf, Alexandria Knapik, Judi Krew, Okja Kwon, Que Law, Frank Locke, Mônica Lóss, Marie Magnetic, Mariah Majakey, Rose Malenfant, Joan Malina, April Malphurs, Ayan Aziz Mammadova, Anda Marcu, Sami Mark, Crystal Marshall, Juliet Martin, Debbie McCarthy, Mildred Annani Mercado, Ashley Meyers, Sarah Mueller, Nelson, Kristen Neveu, Kelsey Faith Nichols, Amy Nolan, Lisa Nowlain, Sammi Ohlson, Christine OMalley, Jannette Parent, Kailyn Perry, Kathleen H. Peters, Malik John-Marc Purvis, Karla Ramirez-Santin, Pia Pilar Reynaldo, Martryce Roach, Elizabeth Shen, Ruth G. Sikes, Spencer Sinclair, Izzy Sneed, Anne Spooner, Lisa Stavinoha, Ashlee Rene Thompson, Jennifer Traina-Dorge, Sean Tyler, Gretchen Vogt, Julia Waltz-Stalker, Ginna Wilkerson, Gail M. Willert, Lauren Williamson, Margaret Wolensky.
Windows to the Inside Press Release
(Image: Gabrielle: Self-Love Project | Anjali Mudra (2022) – photography; 11 x 14 in.)
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, in the U.S. you can contact: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, you can call or text: 988
Línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis, call or text: 1-888-628-9454
For a list of other mental health and crisis hotlines, visit: https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlines
For a list of crisis resources resources in Chicago, visit: https://www.namichicago.org/resources
Educational Guide on online Safety Resources for LGBTQIA+ Youth. It includes detailed infographics with online safe spaces and support groups, information on homelessness, parental guidance, and safety tips, along with a downloadable checklist of U.S. youth community centers.
Woman Made Gallery is supported in part by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Illinois Arts Council Agency; the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. the Puffin Foundation, a major anonymous donor; and the generosity of its members and contributors.
