An exhibit on view through April 14 in UNM's Zimmerman Library gives individuals living with mental illness a chance to share their stories with the public. Mentored by working photographers, these 18 amateur artists are each represented by a 12" x 12" photograph as well as a personal narrative of that photograph. Untold Minds was put together by the Santa Fe non-profit, Compassionate Touch Network.
Executive Director Michele Herling says that sharing their perspectives with the wider public "helps bring these individuals out of the isolation that so many of them live in." It's an isolation that is often "self-imposed, because of the stigma" society attaches to mental illness.
In a longer version of the interview, Michele describes how the amateur artists are matched with their artist mentors, and how they then work together toward a public exhibition of their photographs.
