"Fine Line" Detailed in Portraits
SAMHSA is currently hosting a traveling
exhibit by photographer Michael Nye, Fine Line: Mental
Health/Mental Illness. The exhibit is a documentary
of voices, stories, and portraits of individuals living
with mental illness. Mr. Nye spent 4 years photographing
and recording stories.
Speaking at the SAMHSA opening of his exhibit, Mr. Nye
said, "I don't know where mental health ends and
mental illness begins. This exhibit is about the fine
line that moves through all of our lives as we weave
our ways."
Observing that people often focus on the "dichotomy"
between people with mental illness and those not diagnosed
with it, Mr. Nye emphasized the "commonality"
among people. "Mental illness is often about fear,"
he said, "fear of ourselves and fear of others.
I ask each person coming into the gallery to listen carefully.
Throw away your old definitions of mental illness and
start over. Listen to each story as if it could be you
or your child or your friend or some stranger you will
meet tomorrow."
Mr. Nye has pursued photographic projects throughout
the world in places such as Siberia, Iraq, China, and
Labrador, and he has had more than 30 one-person exhibits
in museums and universities around the country. Fine
Line is on display at SAMHSA until February 15.
To view the exhibit, contact Carlton Speight by phone
at (240) 276-1949 or by email at carlton.speight@samhsa.hhs.gov.
For more information about Michael Nye's photos, visit
http://MichaelNye.org.
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