The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced that a public exhibition of artwork produced by individuals recovering from mental illness will be on display at galleries in New York City this winter. Works produced by artists from the Living Museum at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center will be featured at the IW Gallery in Brooklyn this month and at FIERMAN in Manhattan until March, demonstrating the powerful role art can play in improving health and promoting wellbeing.

“Creative inspiration and artistic expression have a powerful impact on mental wellness and recovery.” Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “The artwork produced at the Living Museum demonstrates the talent of so many New Yorkers living with mental illness who express themselves through their art. These impressive exhibitions are a reminder of the important role art can play in all our lives.”

The IW Gallery in Brooklyn will host a public reception for the 59-piece exhibit at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, and have the artwork on display through Thursday, Jan. 23. FIERMAN hosted a reception for its 79-piece exhibit earlier this week in Manhattan but will have the artwork on display through March 2.

Located on Creedmoor’s campus in Queens, the Living Museum provides an art studio dedicated to artwork produced by residents of Creedmoor programs. The studio was established in 1983 after Dr. Janos Marton, a psychologist at Creedmoor, invited Polish artist Bolek Greczynski to join the hospital staff.

 Together, Marton and Greczynski –who became the museum’s first director –transformed an abandoned cafeteria building on the campus into the studio. Now one of the largest of its kind, the museum supports roughly 70 individuals and has served as an international inspiration for recovery through the arts.

Today, the museum now features 45,000 square feet of space, more than 10,000 individual pieces of artwork, and includes a performance space for musicians. Watch a video feature on the Living Museum.

“The Living Museum provides an inviting space for Creedmoor patients to express, process and communicate feelings, thoughts, and meanings,” Museum Director Dr. Mitra Reyhani Ghadim said. “Free from outside pressures, the Living Museum continues to be a place of study, a forum to experiment with expressive art media, and the junction where art connects with life through creative work.”