The Art Studio, Inc. is hosting the exhibition “The Art of Mental Health” through Sept. 26. The exhibit features artwork created by people whose art deals with mental health issues.
“This is our third art of mental health event,” Greg Busceme, TASI executive director, said.
The idea for the show started two years ago when Studio board members from the foundation of Mental Health in Southeast Texas reached out to Busceme to use the studio space as a means for art therapy.
Busceme said The Art Studio is the ideal place to host an exhibition of this kind.
“Art is good venue for (self-care) because there are synaptic things happening in the brain because people are creating,” he said. “You feel better because you feel like your mind is creating a masterpiece.”
TASI administrative assistant and artist Kris Movva said art plays a vital role in mental wellness.
“Everything you do in terms of art, is a culmination of your decisions and what has made you, you,” she said. “Every decision you make is not random, as much as people like to think, the color choices, the subject matter, the style, you may not think about it but subconsciously you chose that.
“You can create art within the mess. If you take a ballpoint pen and scribble on a sheet of notebook paper, there’s an embodiment to it. It activates a center of your brain and takes away the angst that you might feel.”
Busceme said The Studio received some funding to help with the monthly group related to mental health and art therapy, but that funding was recently a victim of federal cuts. However, he said The Studio will continue to host the group and the show because it is important to the community.
“‘The Art of Mental Health’ is more about expressiveness and showcasing people in a physical world and what goes on with them,” he said. “That’s a big transition, to make a visual representation of your feelings and share them with the world, but that’s the point. If you get people to become aware of themselves, they find it easier to handle themselves and become more independent.”
Movva said when she was younger, art provided a way for her to cope with stresses in her life.
“It was always my outlet,” she said. “Growing up, I would always have doodles in my calculus notes, or if I had a bad day I would go home and draw to where it was almost compulsive. I may not be a working artist, but I want to be around it because it means so much to me.”
Submissions for the exhibit were open to all ages and skill levels.
“There’s no age limit really in art, if a 6-year-old wants to get into the show, she’s on the wall”
Busceme cited artists and teacher Robert Henri’s quote, saying “Art is a state of mind; art is a byproduct of the state of mind.”
The Art Studio is located at 720 Franklin St. in Beaumont. For more, visit artstudio.org.