13 February 2008
Victoria University PhD student, Sally Northfield, is the Guest Curator at a new art exhibition 'Canvassing the Emotions' that opened on Monday 11 February 2008 at the Queen Victorian Women's Centre, in Melbourne.
It is an innovative exhibition of artworks by women who have experienced mental ill health or trauma, which puts women, creativity and mental health in context.
The works in the exhibition are drawn from the Cunningham Dax Collection. From the 1950s to now, the exhibition explores the intersection of women, creativity and mental health within cultural, socio-economic and political contexts. It illuminates the complexities of being a woman experiencing mental ill health and producing art in Australian society.
The Cunningham Dax Collection has a mission to promote widely a greater understanding of people who experience mental illness and/or psychological trauma, and to foster an appreciation of their creativity through the preservation and ethical presentation of their original works.
A free program of public events will also be held in conjunction with the 'Canvassing the Emotions' exhibition.
Wednesday 20 February at 1pm, Donna Lawrence, a practising artist who has loaned a selection of her artworks for this exhibition, will discuss her work in conversation with Sally Northfield. Sally is the guest curator of the exhibition and also the co-director of the Directory of Women in Trades and Services.
Wednesday 27 February at 1pm, Sandy Jeffs will present a writer's talk. Sandy is the author of the bestseller Poems from the Madhouse and four other collections of poetry, including Wings of Angels.
The exhibition is being held in the lead-up to the 3rd International Congress on Women's Mental Health to be held in Melbourne in March. Sally Northfield's research, by the same title, is supervised by Jill Astbury and Heather Gridley in the School of Psychology.
Where: Queen Victorian Women's Centre, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne]
When: Monday11 - Friday 29 February 2008
Opening Times: Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm
Entry: Free
Media Contact: Andy Gash, Snr. Media Officer,
Marketing & Communications Department, Victoria University
Ph: (03) 9919 4950; mobile: 0411 255900
