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Justin Mason
Communications Director (518) 474-6540
justin.mason@omh.ny.gov May 20, 2025
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NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCES WORKS FROM INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM MENTAL ILLNESS FEATURED AT THE EMPIRE STATE PLAZA IN ALBANYTemporary Gallery of Artwork from Creedmoor Psychiatric Center’s ‘Living Museum’ in Queens Now on Display at the South Concourse Through May |
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The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced that the Empire State Plaza will host a public exhibition of work produced by artists from the Living Museum, an internationally renowned hub of artists who are recovering from mental illness at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens. Hosted in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, the gallery features 60 reproductions and will be on display on easels at the south end of the plaza’s concourse level through the end of May.
“This beautiful artwork by artists from the Living Museum is on display at the Empire State Plaza Concourse through the end of May for Mental Health Awareness Month,” OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “It showcases the remarkable talent of these artists and is a powerful message of hope and recovery for all New Yorkers living with mental health challenges. I encourage all visitors to our Capital Region to take a moment to visit this temporary gallery and see the important role the arts can play in mental well-being.”
“OGS is proud to join the Office of Mental Health during Mental Health Awareness Month in providing the public with an opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by artwork from the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center’s Living Museum in Queens,” Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said. “We hope this exhibit at the Empire State Plaza will help erase the stigma associated with mental illness and that art will continue serving as an outlet for those on the way to recovery.”
The gallery features reproductions of work from 16 artists working in the Living Museum, each living with mental illness, along with their pictures and a personal statement about themselves. The work featured at the concourse can also be viewed in a special gallery OMH is featuring online.
Located on Creedmoor’s campus in Queens Village, 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.
“The Living Museum is a world-class program of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, the largest state operated psychiatric center in New York City and the second largest in New York State,” Creedmoor Executive Director Dr. Martha Sullivan said. “This exhibit is representative of the recovery so many of our patients have achieved and the high-quality inpatient, residential and outpatient care we provide to individuals and their families to have stable, meaningful lives in the community.”
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.
“Free from outside pressures, the Living Museum provides an inviting space for Creedmoor patients to express themselves, process their feelings, and communicate their thoughts,” Museum Director Dr. Mitra Reyhani Ghadim said. “With international recognition, this facility continues to serve as a junction where art connects with life through creative work, and as an inspiration for countless others living with mental illness.” |
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