Event Date: October 9-30
Location: Conney M. Kimbo Art Gallery in the William Pitt Union
Times: Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Starting October 9, 2015, Stories Untold, a multimedia art gallery formed from university students’ contributions, will be opening in the Conney M. Kimbo Art Gallery in the William Pitt Union. The exhibit’s purpose is to help break stigmas and stereotypes about mental health by displaying the works of students who were inspired by the stress of college.
I asked the Stories Untold team to give a statement about the project:
“In a large campus with nearly 18,000 undergraduate students and 28,000 students in total, including graduate and professional schools, it can be easy to feel disconnected and alone. By sharing students’ experiences with stress, mental illness, loss, and overall life balance in college through visual art, film, writing, and music, Stories Untold allows viewers to see, hear, experience, and understand mental health conditions through the perspectives of Pitt students. The exhibit is an exploration of the power of creative expression in reflecting, healing, and understanding mental illness and mental wellness. This is our way of helping create a campus where mental health is given the same importance, normalcy, and open expression as physical health. Stories Untold is a socially engaging art experience — a chance for students to communicate, advocate, and break societal stigmas, and for those who attend the exhibition to cultivate greater understanding, empathy, and learn how to sensitively assist another individual through mental illness or seek available resources.
Creative expression speaks a global language and Stories Untold has brought together the works of students from different schools across campus. Art therapy is an effective and powerful way of communicating with others, relaxing, and processing your thoughts. Perhaps Stories Untold can spark student-led art therapy sessions at Pitt.
This project was made possible by generous support from the Atlantic Coast Colleges Academic Consortium Fellows Program in Creativity & Innovation. We are grateful to the University of Pittsburgh for providing us with this opportunity to pursue a student-driven and student-led project. Stories Untold would not be possible without the resilience, compassion, and contribution of student artists, collaboration with Pitt Program Council, University Honors College, University Counseling Center, and additional support from Student Government Board, Talk About It, and Active Minds.”
Check out Pitt Stories Untold and Pitt Stories Untold’s Facebook page; and do not miss the gallery this October!
Image credits: Provided by the Stories Untold team. (1, “From Ashes to Dust” by Abigail Wang, “Descending into Something” by Joshua Orange)