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The Backstory
My mother was someone who always believed and saw the best in people and things, no matter how difficult. Because she loved to paint beautiful flowers, this project in part is inspired by her life and attitude towards it.
One of my older sisters has been in psychiatric care for over twenty years and when she was first admitted to a facility in 1989 she was released in a catatonic state.
We later discovered the facility was under federal investigation for abusive practices and the deaths of 5 patients over a 14 month period. It was written about in an investigative journalism piece by the Los Angeles Times.
When my mother passed away I found a letter that she had written to President Clinton several years back sharing her hopes for permanent housing options for my sister.
Since that time I have felt a personal calling to work towards increasing dignity for individuals like my sister and to also help to encourage more permanent supportive housing options for individuals who struggle with mental illness.
The Project
On June 4th, Gallery 211 in Santa Ana will be hosting us for an art show to bring awareness to the need for permanent and supportive housing for individuals like my sister.
The show will highlight works from 17 individual artists on the topic of Bloom and mental health, and we will also be inviting guests to participate and interact with empathy boards, live painting, performance art, and dialogue.
The show is entirely being funded by my own personal resources and although I'm happy to do it, as a lecturer I don't make huge amounts of money so would be very grateful for any financial support for the project.
If you might consider financially supporting this project or attending our event, it is an opportunity to bring change to a great need in our community.