Avivo Exhibt To Really See

The exhibition is a project curated by Jes Reyes, the Coordinator of Avivo’s ArtWorks program, and co-organized by Paul Ranelli, a Professor of Social Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Both met at the 2016 Minnesota Public Health Association annual meeting.

Ranelli was inspired to create a photography exhibition that invited medication users to tell their story through a specific medium and how medications impacted their life.

After he met Reyes and described his project idea, they became immediate partners. As they worked together, the project grew from a community arts Photovoice activity to an expanded display of diverse art mediums that spoke to the medication taking experience, with a focus on the role psychiatric medications play in our lives. “The goal is to articulate visually the importance of medications, including those prescribed for mental health, and the relevance of such medications in our lives,” Ranelli indicates about the show’s potential impact. “Medication use is embedded in society and hence is involved in value conflicts, social and economic power relationships, and various forms of cultural expression. The arts relate to and create culture, challenge thoughts and values, and foster social transformation,” he continues.

ArtWorks (formerly Spectrum ArtWorks), a program of Avivo, organizes projects that aim to meet its mission to challenge stigma and raise mental health awareness. “There is a benefit of creating a public narrative around a health experience, especially if there is some shame or fear around it,” Reyes said in an interview with MinnPost. “We want to encourage conversations around art. That’s one way that change happens.” Previous ArtWorks community partners have included the Augsburg College, Soo Visual Arts Center, Solar Arts Building, American Lung Association, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Contact Jes Reyes at 612-752-8282 or [email protected]

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