Artwork by Mental Health Community to be Showcased at ArtsWestchester’s Gallery in White Plains

Visions 2017: Art Odyssey will be on view September 7-14, 2017

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (July 25, 2017) – Beginning Thursday, September 7, Westchester County’s Department of Community Mental Health, Rockland Psychiatric Center and ArtsWestchester will present Visions 2017: Art Odyssey, an exhibition that features over 125 original artworks by more than 60 artists who are recipients of mental health services in Westchester County.

“The exhibition, which coincides with ‘Recovery Month,’ demonstrates that recipients of mental health services have embraced the concept of hope and are willing to share their view of recovery,” says Dr. Mark Herceg, Commissioner of Community Mental Health.

Visions 2017: Art Odyssey is free and open to the public, and will be held in ArtsWestchester’s Shenkman Gallery at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains. The exhibit will be on view on from 12-5pm on Tuesdays-Saturdays from Friday, September 8 through Thursday, September 14. An opening reception will take place on Thursday, September 7, from 5:30–7pm. For more information, please call (914) 428-4220 or visit artswestchester.org.

For more than 30 years, ArtsWestchester’s partnership with Westchester County’s Department of Community Mental Health has provided art services and residencies to people with chronic mental illnesses, allowing them the opportunity to participate in art workshops and enjoy live performances.

“The activities are designed to be outside the therapeutic framework, enabling those who participate to tap their imaginations, express their creativity, develop new skills, and to fully integrate into the community,” says Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester.

Many of those who take art workshops – whether painting, creative writing and poetry, ceramics, mosaics or jewelry making – find that they have an affinity for the work. These programs are a bridge to the community. The Visions 2017 exhibition not only shows the community that recipients of mental health services are gifted and talented, but it demonstrates that recipients are capable of engaging in challenging art-making experiences. In turn, a sense of pride, accomplishment, positive self-worth and public acceptance, validates the goal of these partnerships.

Visions 2017: Art Odyssey is a partnership between ArtsWestchester and Rockland Psychiatric Center. This exhibition is made possible with funding from Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health and Rockland Psychiatric Center.

Participating agencies include Rockland Psychiatric Center, Human Development Services of Westchester, Mental Health Association of Westchester, and New York Presbyterian Hospital Westchester Division. Artists not affiliated with these agencies will also participate in this event.

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.