MACMH Introduces Open•Up
—High quality art projects that invite others to see how important it is to talk about mental health
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) believes that the artwork of children and adolescents is a powerful vehicle to open up conversations about mental health. Open•Up, our new arts-based community outreach, invites youth to be a vital force for creating change by engaging in high-quality arts programming. Open•Up’s 2007–2008 inaugural season offers three innovative arts projects that both educate and entertain.
Open•Up TV – Teens teaching teens to reduce stigma
MACMH is partnering with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) and energetic young leaders from Youthrive to create a fresh, multi-disciplinary news and arts television program that educates viewers about the stigma that surrounds mental health.
Scheduled to premiere in Spring 2008, the television program will be broadcast multiple times on TPT’s Channel 17 and MNTPT.
Beginning in Fall 2008, a group of adolescents will be trained to lead school workshops throughout Minnesota by using an interactive curriculum that utilizes a DVD version of the program.
Open•Up Theatre – Raising awareness through live theatre
An ensemble of emerging young performers are collaborating with Matt Jenson (from Children’s Theatre Company) and Marya Hart (from Frank Theatre and Bedlam Theatre) to create original musical theatre productions that promote positive images of children with mental health disorders.
Open•Up Theatre’s first production, Fidgety Fairy Tales, uses familiar fairy tale characters to illustrate symptoms and behaviors of common children’s mental health disorders. Fidgety Fairy Tales will premiere in March 2008 at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul and then tour throughout the Twin Cities metro area.
Open•Up Magazine – A new literary and visual arts journal for artists ages 5 – 21
Open•Up Magazine features mental health-related paintings, drawings, photographs, posters, essays, poems, and fairy tales selected from young creative artists. Mental health facts and resources accompany the vibrant visuals and compelling writing.
This project sparks critical thinking and artistic expression about mental health in children and young adults. Several inspiring classroom activities and fact sheets about mental health are available free on our website. |
The Importance
of
Mental Health Awareness
Each day 1 in 5 Americans experience a mental health disorder. However, more than 66 percent of people with mental health disorders do not seek treatment, mostly because of the stigma that surrounds mental health.
Sometimes stigma makes it difficult to even talk about mental health.
By presenting information through the abstraction, imagery, and metaphor of art, Open•Up projects create safe spaces for children and adolescents to open up and talk about mental health and mental illness.
Stigma exists because of misinformation about mental health.
By conveying accurate information about mental health, our projects encourage people to open up and seek help if they have concerns.
An important part of mental health is the ability to express emotions.
Our projects encourage children and adolescents to open up and express themselves in a healthy way through the many languages of the arts.
Submit Your Work to
Open•Up Magazine |
