Living Beyond Poster Project at HCMC

(Ludwig Beethoven by Christi Furnas) We’ve all seen art exhibits celebrating groups of people whose contributions might have previously been overlooked, but what about artists, entertainers, and authors who have struggled with mental illness?

This omission has been remedied in "Living Beyond Poster Project." Housed in the HCMC Red Building (730 S. 8th St.)—a surprising space the has already hosted a variety of art shows—"Living Beyond" will feature portraits of 20 famous individuals who lived/are living with diseases like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Celebrities include from Ernest Hemingway, Patty Duke, Richard Dreyfuss, Virginia Wolff, and Kurt Cobain, among many others. All images used in the show were rendered by local artists who "live beyond" their mental health struggle to create art. Though there is still a stigma attached to mental illness, many individuals featured—both celebrity and artist—have gone on to do great things; not in spite of their mental health issues, not because of them, but because they wanted to contribute using their innate talent. HCMC will host "Living Beyond" through June 27. The exhibit strives to represent all aspects of mental health recovery, from despair, to struggling, to manageability, and beyond. Eventually three pieces from the show will be selected to be made into posters which will be sold and distributed throughout the city.

(Ernest Hemingway by Ernie Grossbach)

(Jean Claude Van Damme by B. Parsons)