Many people have heard of the late Wesley Willis, the schizophrenic Chicago singer/songwriter. But far fewer have seen Willis’ Magic Marker drawings of Chicago cityscapes.
Some of these drawings, along with 54 other works of art, are on display at the Creative Visions for Mental Health Art Show through July 20, an exhibit featuring exclusively the work of people with mental illnesses. Many of the 30 artists included in the show, along with their relatives and friends, attended the exhibit’s opening reception, which Associate Director for Community Outreach Sarah Laing said drew between 100 and 150 people to the Open Studio Project Gallery at 903 Sherman Ave. in Evanston June 24.
“The artists enjoyed having people witness their work,” Laing said. “They always enjoy talking about their art with the community.”
The show, which is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as well as 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, is being held for the first time this year. Open Studio Project, Inc. produced a show with Housing Options two years ago that resembled this year’s show but featured fewer artists and drew a smaller crowd. Housing Options provides housing for adults with mental illness, including several of the show’s artists.
“A lot of the artists were really grateful for the opportunity,” Laing said. “It allowed them to feel like a part of the community.”
The Mental Health Art Show, which was funded by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council, was conceived to “help create awareness around reducing the stigma and discrimination of people with mental illnesses and to honor their creative talents,” Laing said.
The show is indicative of a large trend in the art therapy community to focus on the creative abilities of people with mental illnesses instead of the stigma, said Laing, who coordinated the show along with Dayna Block, co-founder and executive director of Open Studio Project, Inc., and Karen Vroegh, the board president of the Mental Health Association of the North Shore.
“People with mental illnesses are people who can do things,” said Vroegh. “They have skills.”
Open Studio Project, Inc., which was created in Chicago in 1991 and relocated to Evanston in 2000, also offers public classes for children, teenagers, and adults, as well as the after-school Art & Action Program for at-risk youth.
The artists work in a range of classic media as well as more experimental forms such as paper cut-outs. One artist, Gale Tolf, used a combination of pen, ink and watercolor to create nine illustrations of scenes from Shakespeare plays such as Julius Caesar and MacBeth.
“I just always loved Shakespeare, I don’t know why,” said Tolf, who has published several drawings and written fairy tale plays, including “The Firebird,” which was recently purchased by the Puppet Parlor Theatre. Each painting takes Tolf 20 hours to complete and she has created a total of 24.
Another featured artist, Dan Lisowski, showcased two of his paintings, entitled “The River” and “The Waterfall Downriver.”
“I don’t think I could draw a picture of a horse for the life of me, but I can swirl,” said Lisowski, who is also a musician. “I was watching a lot of art shows on Channel 11 and I got into it.”
One of the exhibit’s admirers was Alexander Brown, the executive director of Housing Options.
“There’s a real range of talent here,” Brown said. “It’s exciting when people with chronic mental illness are given the chance to exhibit their talent to the community.”
Scene Editor Ben Rosen is a Weinberg senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
