A National Network of Mentally Challenged Artists

Altered States of the Arts is a nationwide network of creative people who are current or former recipients of psychiatric services.  Our purpose is to promote the arts as a vehicle for social change, personal empowerment, healing and recovery.  See “The Power of Arts to Heal” a collection of quotations  on the value of art among consumers/survivors/ex-consumers and the correlation with healing and recovery.  We promote artists, writers and performers throughout the country whose art contains a “message” about their mental health issues that can provide insight and understanding to a wide audience of persons receiving services, mental health providers and the public at large.  By art, we always mean storytelling, poetry, music, dance, visual arts, painting, sculpture, everything that is usually thought of as creativity.

Our Goals:

 

· To maintain the Altered States Website that provides news and updates of arts opportunities throughout the country, a rotating exhibit of visual art and writings, and a database of consumer web sites and arts programs and resources throughout the country

 

· To promote performances and activities at conferences, festivals and rallies

 

· To provide technical assistance to state institutions, hospital facilities and consumer providers on ways to use art as a meaningful healing tool

 

· To create a network for artists with a wide variety of psychiatric disabilities  including trauma survivors and others

 

· To promote the arts as part of policy making and leadership potential

 

· Assisting Peer Support Specialists to use art in their support responsibilities.

 

· To present the “Howie the Harp Award” annually at the Alternatives conference, to the person who best exemplifies the spirit as an artist with vision toward recovery and  social change.

 

 

The current “Arts Showcase” includes creative works by Jerome Lawrence, Liz Zawisza and Lynn Stewart, poetry by Corinna West, Gayle Bluebird, and Sally Clay, and a “Pillows of Unrest” exhibit featuring a pillowcase by Andrea Bower Willard. We have added a special section on “Howie the Harp” as well. 

 

We currently have several artists lined up for future showcase updates.  If you are interested in submitting your art, poetry, essays or photography, please e-mail ed@alteredstatesofthearts.com

to receive instructions on how to submit your work.

 

You will find more consumer artists listed under the links at

 

“Consumer/Survivor Websites”

 

“Please Support Our Artists!”

Art pieces make great gifts

 

One of our Co-founders, Gayle “Bluebird” writes an article for this Website entitled “Bluebird on the Arts.”  Bluebird currently works in Wilmington, DE where she is train-ing Peer Specialists at the State Hospital.  In addition, she travels around the country speaking on, among other topics, the need for and importance of the “Arts in Recovery.”