Plattsburgh artwork exhibit makes use of images to discover psychological well being journeys

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – A brand new artwork exhibit in Plattsburgh is utilizing images and visible artwork to open conversations about psychological well being.

The “Holding Space” exhibit on the Strand Center for the Arts options 129 items, together with work by photographer Ron Nolland, who picked up images practically 22 years in the past at his spouse’s suggestion.

“It’s Father’s Day, your daughter’s pregnant, you are going to want to take pictures of the baby, get yourself a camera for Father’s Day,” Nolland recalled considering.

Over the following twenty years, Nolland used his digicam to discover the world round him and the quiet, inner moments individuals take care of day by day. “I think we all have friends and family members that struggle with mental health, and I don’t see how we can look at it any other way than it’s a journey that we need to help people through,” Nolland mentioned. “If I can take, create an image, and someone can see the world I saw, that to me is thrilling.”

The Strand partnered with Behavioral Health Services North for the exhibit.

“Anybody that’s on a journey with mental health or mental illness knows that it’s really important to feel seen and heard, and I think this space was a really beautiful place to allow people to show up and feel that way,” mentioned BHSN’s Barb Guay, who helped arrange the exhibit and can also be a contributor. “I encourage people to do things to stay well, and so art has been a really beautiful way for me to try and stay well. I created a self-care plan to help myself stay on track because a big thing of working in the recovery world is being able to embody that.”

The exhibit runs through the end of the month.